Squad Rotation & Challenging On All Fronts

Has the emphasis on squad rotation, in 09, put you off challenging for all available honours?

This isn't an injuries rant, I haven't had any injuries, but condition deterioration is obviously more important in this game compared to it's predescessors. Because of this, I find myself rotating my squad on a game to game basis, which IMO is realistic and a nice challenge. However, I don't think i'll be making any attempt to field first team players in cup competitions, I just can't afford to have them lacking condition for league games.

I know a few people have managed to win every competition they have entered in a season, but AFAIC it will be impossible for my FC Bayern team to maintain league success and make a push for the German Cup.

I'll say it again, this isn't a rant and i'm loving the challenge of rotating a squad and trying to make the line ups work, but I don't think i'll ever be able to push for a clean sweep of trophies in 09.

I found in my first couple of seasons I was changing all 11 frequently and it was costing me big time.

In my 3rd season I've tried to stick by my 1st 11 and just make the right subs when players are tiring (particularly ronaldo and messi on the wings). I've found I'm making less major changes.

By the way I've played 36 league games W 23 D 13 L 0.

I'm also in FA and Champion League final.

I hadn't actually given this much thought until recently when I realised that I was constantly changing my first 11.

So yes, it seems rotation is a lot more important in '09. But this certainly does add to the challenge and the fun, as well as cutting down on the number of players becoming unhappy (although I imagine at lower league level it will be a bit of pain).

I plan to 'do an Arsenal' from now on and always play my second choice team in the early rounds of the FA and League cups. If they play well they might even get to play in the later rounds.

I used to do this always, in early rounds of cups I normally field a 2nd team, maybe with one or two regular first team members.

I try no to change all 11 players for each game, I think it is not good for the team, but that is just my idea of it.

I play my main eleven in away league, champions league and FA cup games and then i stick a youth/reserve mixture out out for a lot of the easier home games or the carling cup rounds. It seems to be working okay for me so far (in that i don't lose too many matches).

I plan to 'do an Arsenal' from now on and always play my second choice team in the early rounds of the FA and League cups. If they play well they might even get to play in the later rounds.

I'm tempted to do this as well. But it's actually raised a real problem for me with the CL! I have little or no chance of winning the CL and the league because of fixture congestion and a pretty weak squad, so i'm contemplating fielding a weaker team in the CL and focussing on the league and Cup.

I think the upshot of it all is that you now need a bigger squad than you did in FM08.

To be fair I always had big squads in '08, the difference is that I never really needed them...

This way works great for me as I'm a compulsive scouter and buyer of young talents. With the greater need for rotation these players actually have a chance of some first team action now.

I'm tempted to do this as well. But it's actually raised a real problem for me with the CL! I have little or no chance of winning the CL and the league because of fixture congestion and a pretty weak squad, so i'm contemplating fielding a weaker team in the CL and focussing on the league and Cup.

I think I'd be too tempted to do it the other way and risk a couple of losses in the league to try and get a bit further in the champions league.

But if you're sure that you won't win it anyway it's probably more sensible to concentrate on the league and the money you'll get for qualifying for next years champions league.

Unfortunately I'm rarely sensible....

Sounds like a bad change for me! I'm the kind of manager who likes to send his first choice team out week in week out (with a few minor changes) whatever the competition, but I guess it is more realistic provided it is implemented properly and doesn't cause players to get too knackered just from playing almost all league games with no cup games.

I've never really utilised the ability to save different team selections much, but I imagine I would be doing so if I have to keep rotating.

I've never really utilised the ability to save different team selections much, but I imagine I would be doing so if I have to keep rotating.

I didn't know you could do this, how is it done?

It's one of the options down amongst the ones to let your Ass Man pick your team etc that used to be down in the bottom left corner of the screen (FM 07/08 standard skin, I haven't used FM09). Can't remember exactly though and I'm in work at the moment so obviously don't have the game open to check.

I seem to remember it used to be a bit buggy (e.g. saving a team when you were intending to load one), but those bugs appear to have been fixed so it worked quite nicely, just that as I say I rarely utilise it.

Considering that I've been playing FM since about 1920 (just two years longer than Nomis) I can't believe I've managed to miss that.

Just goes to show that years of FM experience don't actually mean you know everything :o

I have been rotating my players for several years now.. I don't really know if it is a problem for my players... It works for me... I have dont it because of their condition and so that "reserves" dont get unhappy ...

In addition to handling press conferences, friendlies, reserve fixtures and team talks, my ass man now picks my team as well.

Pipe and slippers time!

I don't rotate at all.

I tend to pick fit players over technical players when buying.

I focus training on Aerobic.

I give players days off when there is a long break between matches (usually anything more than 5 days).

I've not really noticed any problem with match condition.

In addition to handling press conferences, friendlies, reserve fixtures and team talks, my ass man now picks my team as well.

Pipe and slippers time!

Haha.. what do YOU actually do then... click continue?

I find it is really worth rotating your squad just to keep up the match fitness for most of your squad. If a first teamer gets injured I don't really want to be sticking a sub on who "Severely lacks match practice".

I find it is really worth rotating your squad just to keep up the match fitness for most of your squad. If a first teamer gets injured I don't really want to be sticking a sub on who "Severely lacks match practice".

That's what reserve games are for though

Haha.. what do YOU actually do then... click continue?

Auto continue, my friend. I hire and fire ass mans and make the tea.

That's what reserve games are for though

True... but a player coming off the back of a reserve match can sometimes have a below 90ish% condition. Also, I don't really like putting some of my internationals in the reserves just incase they get p1ssed off or injured.

Auto continue, my friend. I hire and fire ass mans and make the tea.

Hehe. Quality. Maybe that's what Fergie has been doing all of these years?

I rest my players if they play on Saturday and Wednesday for at least one day, some two. This gets 'em up into the 90's. Odly enough I focus on the Cup games because it is my main source of income. For a lower league team with a tiny stadium and not many fans, the cup rewards can be quite lucrative. I bagged 45K in prize money this season, which pays for 5 months of wages.. Money I desperately need because my pitch condition is terrible and I need to get out of the red before I can relay it.

oh, the joys of LLM.

It's realistic that a degree of rotation is required. However, in my opinion, players currently get too knackered too quickly and too easily. Most big clubs have a rotation policy, but if you look at, say Man Utd, Chelsea or Arsenal (Liverpool are a slightly different case because of Benitez), they have key players who they tend not to rotate, at least in the big competitions. But you can't do this on FM09. You have to rotate everybody.

Players rarely reach 100%, take longer to recover than you have between games, pick up knocks too easily and so on. That's what I think, anyway.

I think the upshot of it all is that you now need a bigger squad than you did in FM08.

To be fair I always had big squads in '08, the difference is that I never really needed them...

This way works great for me as I'm a compulsive scouter and buyer of young talents. With the greater need for rotation these players actually have a chance of some first team action now.

Ha Exactly what I did.

I've tended to always play my first team 11 in the league unless they had a condition of <90%

I wonder whether I could get away with playing them in a lesser state? i.e. is it around 74% they are now considered too tired to perform at their best? So I could get 45mins out of a player rather than just pick those with top condition going into the match.

IIRC there used to be an option to automatically rest players after matches. That would be handy. Its tiresome clicking on players with low condition and giving them 1,2,3 days off. Can you group select players? I'd try now but FM isnt running and I need to make some dinner!

It's realistic that a degree of rotation is required. However, in my opinion, players currently get too knackered too quickly and too easily. Most big clubs have a rotation policy, but if you look at, say Man Utd, Chelsea or Arsenal (Liverpool are a slightly different case because of Benitez), they have key players who they tend not to rotate, at least in the big competitions. But you can't do this on FM09. You have to rotate everybody.

Players rarely reach 100%, take longer to recover than you have between games, pick up knocks too easily and so on. That's what I think, anyway.

I agree with everything Ekim said.

I'm ashamed to admit I've just been scrolling up and down this thread trying to find a post by 'Ekim'. Oh dear...

Befuddlesville says it all.