Surely money should compensate for reputation more than it does now in lower leagues

I'm playing in the conference and have been scouring clubs in places like Armenia, Andorra etc for players. The majority of whom are earning a paltry 50 - 100 pounds a week, from their stats they'd walk into my team so I offer them a grand a week and 25k signing on fee. Yet they all snub the contract and it seems to be more down to reputation as there is no reasons for why they rejected other than that.

I know that within reason you couldn't entice an enormous player to the championship even if you offered him 10m signing on fee and a 100k a week unless you were very lucky and he was ageing... the way the model works at the top end seems about right, but at the bottom end you've got players refusing a life of relative comfort, because quite frankly, some of those players would be unlikely to see 25k in their bank ever if they keep playing over there. There's also the fact that a move to England does provide more future prospects for young players.

I'v been noticing the same problem. Attracting foreign players with some skill, but a low reputation to lower leagues is almost impossible. In the real world players often move to lower leagues in important coutries or good teams in less significant countries (John Obi Mikel went to Norwgianside Lyn before Chelsea) early in their career. Getting ageing players too accept contracts with lower league sides is also a problem.

I suppose the players don't want to move to the other side of the world to play for some paltry low league team. Wouldn't say it isn't realistic.

So you're saying if you lived in a relatively poor country you got offered the chance to earn 20x more than your currently earning and over 1000x your current wage as a signing on fee you wouldn't be tempted? A lot of polish people etc moved to England to do normal jobs to support their families back home because money from countries like England is worth a lot more over there, that too would be extra impetus to do it for some players.

I suppose the players don't want to move to the other side of the world to play for some paltry low league team. Wouldn't say it isn't realistic.

If that's all it was then you're right. Why would a player want to leave their country in what was essentially a side ways move. One poor club to another, with the added cost of moving. But I think what the OP is getting at is that money should be able to amend that slightly.

If you're a reasonably handy player earning around 100 sterling a week, and then a club of low stature but high finances offers you ten times that plus a big enough nest egg to make the move easy then that should be pretty tempting for a lot of players. That cancels out the 'fuss' of moving and compensates for the low rep of the team. Plus, a low rep team with huge finances should have their rep boosted really as they are a club with the potential to go somewhere.

I mean, look at the case of Man City and Robiniho. I think a lot of people would point out that it was the money not the reputation of Man City that got him to join. I know it's not a lower league example but the point is money talks, and if you're a mediorce player at the lower levels then it should talk more.

I suppose the players don't want to move to the other side of the world to play for some paltry low league team. Wouldn't say it isn't realistic.

Take a look at the lower league squads these days, there's a lot of foreign players there now - it happens in real life all the time, but its a bit too hard to replicate in FM.

you see this problem in its fullest if you go to a team like Shaktar in the ukranian league. they have an abramovic style owner who pumps millions into the club however if you go them on FM you struggle to sign anyone. i went them in 07 and was offering 18 year olds £60 000 a week with £2 million signining fees and they were rejecting, and these guys were in the belgian league with a chance to play champions league football if they came to me.

In the Bandits experiment thread (based on the 07 game) the lack of effect of money on reputation was pointed out. Someone on there came up with a decent model that might compensate for it (Ackter maybe?) but I don't know if it's been used in recent FM games. I'm guessing not by the sounds of it.

I suppose the players don't want to move to the other side of the world to play for some paltry low league team. Wouldn't say it isn't realistic.

Andorra is hardly on the other side of the world to England.

Neither is Armenia.

Money should definitely have more influence at the lower levels, or at least the feedback should say something like "Andreas has a full time job outside football and feels a move to Scunthorpe would not be right at this stage in his career".

For instance, I'm trying to sign an 18 year old from Shamrock Rovers in Dublin - I'm EAG in the French Ligue 2. He's on a "professional" €60 per week contract, but won't move to me for €1000/w because he doesn't want to leave Dublin. Fair enough, in reality a player might turn it down because he's at uni or has a decent job, and doesn't want to throw it all away for a 2 year contract. But in FM, it is represented as him just earning €60/w and wanting to stay at home, possibly with his mam.

With some of the players I did get reasons like not wanting to leave certain places, but for some there was no reason at all which to me, suggests it is purely down to reputation. It's a tad frustrating because I quite literally have to spend so long looking for these players who will join me because the ratio so far is about 25 rejections to 1 player who will accept.

This is surely a big flaw?

Like the OP says a player who plays for a small obscure team in Albania, Andorra, Australia or Antartica earning 100GBP a week would surely move to a lower league, low reputation team in another country for 1000GBP a week and a 25k signing bonus?

Of course might be different for amateur/semi-pro players, but a professional would surely derive all their income from playing football and would make the move for financial reasons in most cases. I'd move countries and work for a small company for ten times my income!

in terms of albania, andorra, there are not many of these nationalities playing in england at the moment, so they wouldnt really move. in terms of australia, if a player is playing in the A league, that is the best league in australia, and so you wouldnt really move to league 1 in england for example(if you are trying to get recognised by the australia national team its best to stay in aus).

in terms of albania, andorra, there are not many of these nationalities playing in england at the moment, so they wouldnt really move. in terms of australia, if a player is playing in the A league, that is the best league in australia, and so you wouldnt really move to league 1 in england for example(if you are trying to get recognised by the australia national team its best to stay in aus).

Nonsense. They may be back in the A-League now but Royce Brownlie left the Roar to go to Swindon and Talay left Sydney FC to go to Avispa Fukuoka. Ned Zelic left the Jets to go to a dutch second division side! Most A-League players would go to a League One side, especially if they tripled their wages in the process I would have thought.

And the argument that an Albanian or Andorran wouldn't move to the UK because none of their countrymen play there?! Pfffft. A football pro's career is short, most of them playing in the obscure or lower leagues would take any opportunity to boost their income while they can.

A football pro's career is short, most of them playing in the obscure or lower leagues would take any opportunity to boost their income while they can.

Not necessarily. Yes, if their only income was this, then they would move straight away. However, most Andorran footballers would have another job. I think the problem is that the game says that too may players are professionals, when in reality they would be amatuers, semi-pros or students. It's a factor of the game that it is weak in; for instance, in Ireland it is too easy to get semi-pro footballers to turn pro. Usually the reason a player is semi-pro is because he has another job, one that he is not going to just leave for the sake of a 1, 2 or even 3 year contract.

Not necessarily. Yes, if their only income was this, then they would move straight away. However, most Andorran footballers would have another job. I think the problem is that the game says that too may players are professionals, when in reality they would be amatuers, semi-pros or students. It's a factor of the game that it is weak in; for instance, in Ireland it is too easy to get semi-pro footballers to turn pro. Usually the reason a player is semi-pro is because he has another job, one that he is not going to just leave for the sake of a 1, 2 or even 3 year contract.

I was only referring to professional players (i.e. those that derive all their income from football), amateurs and semi-pros would obviously have other considerations.

If the game lists players as professionals when they in fact are not surely that's a researching problem?

Does the game also assume that all amateurs and semi-pros would be interested in signing professional contracts? Or does it take into account that some may wish to never turn pro?

That's a slightly different issue than the OP raised, which I broadly agree with - that money being offered should perhaps be more offset against reputation than it currently is.

I'd imagine someone playing for a team in a average African (or other insignificant footballing) country would jump at the chance to play in England even if it is a low league team. At the least he would see it as a way of getting himself noticed by his dream club. Money should really matter for more.

So who's right?

The people who provide the most evidence?