Squad unrest

Hi all,

Tbh I don't know why a previous attempt on publishing this thread wasn't valid. Perhaps I did click the wrong button...

Anyway, here's a funny situation.

I'm a World Class manager in the game, my team is the League Champion in Russia, currently 2nd in this year's league, about to begin its Champions League campaign (Russia has a jan-dec football Calendar).

Through my career in this save, I've always been a disciplinary coach, and I was able to turn a very undisciplined squad in Brazilian 2nd Division into a self-controled team that was able to gain promotion (and after that and a Polish League win, I was invited to coach this Russian mid-to-strong size).

This season, my squad which is very determined and has a pretty good composure index, started to get many red cards - actually, I had 4 in 16 weeks of the league, tying for the 2nd most red carded team. Interestingly enough, I'm only the 8th team in yellow cards.

I've been dealing with this fining my players and trying to get some of them, which tend towards temperamental (I do have only one player labelled as that), and things looked to be going all right.

However, in my next-to-last game, a League match, I had a player picking a second booking for a ridiculous reason. My team just scored to ensure a 2-0 win with 87 minutes of play against an inferior adversary who hadn't threaten at all in the game, and when the visiting team kicked-off my player just grabbed the shirt of his opponent in the midfield circle - with almost every player in my team behind him, for no possible reason at all except for insane behavior.

I fined the guy for 2 weeks, my standard, and following that he said the fine was unfair (not usual in my team) and it caused a squad unrest.

Then comes the next game, we win easily, everything is back to normal. Is it?

I have a Cup tie, my team is winning 3-1 in a single match Cup rule away, and in 3 minutes between 12 and 15 minutes of the 2nd half, with no pryor booking against my team and plenty against the home team I have a player picking two bookable offenses. The second one is absolutely ridiculous, again at midfield, this time near the right side touchline, with our defense composed and no clear danger at all.

The match is over, I fine the guy 2 weeks. He placed his teammates under pressure by getting our team one man down and also demanded a much more physical stress from players who will play again in 3 days.

What happens? Squad unrest again, many players considering their options, others telling me I should be more patient, etc. - the fined victim thinking about Bosman rules, poor lad.

Am I missing something? I mean - wouldn't a team composed of determined and professional players actually agree with punishing a behavior that puts them on a stretch?

What is funny is that finally, after many months with an incredible array of injuries, I've been able to put my would-be-first-team together and actually start challenging for the league.

One has to wonder if this isn't one of the little nudgets of making the game more challenging at expense of reality.

If you disagree or already experienced something similar, please let me know your thoughts.

Cheers,

Tele

Fining players two weeks wages for two bookable offences doesn't always go down too well (and I don't think it happens too much IRL).

It means you don't distinguish between a straight red for violent conduct and a stupid tug of the shirt - if the tackles are innocuous ones in the centre circle, it should be the ref that you're having a go at

You've got to consider whether the player will even think he deserved the red card. If these people were unlucky to get sent off (and it sounds like the refs were overzealous) then you should not treat them like they elbowed a striker in the face to deny a clear goalscoring opportunity when they were last man - it's not that clear-cut.

Hey Dekker2,

Tks for the input.

But I reckon I think the opposite way around.

I'll explain. A guy is a professional player, he was booked, no matter for what reason, but that's a fact.

Having knowledge of that, he comes to the mid-circle when the opposing team is restarting the game after the match is pretty much decided and grabs an opponent's shirt for no reason.

This is stupidity. And must be punished. As it happens, this guy is my best midfielder so his red card will cost the team at least one game, and possibily 3, without him.

The same is valid for the second situation. A Cup game, completely under control, and the guy can't control himself after being booked - what was him trying to prove? Btw, he is a starter, not a young substitute trying desperately to show off.

Now, I agree with you that a vicious tackle for no-reason or revenge or anything like that should get a 2-week fine.

But the point I disagree is that I could understand a player trying to save a goal and thus handballing after the goalie is beaten or going hard as the last defender and in these instances, I could give them a 1-week fine or even a warning (handballing case). For me, a situation where the player acts desperately in the name of the team is not as worse - of course elbowing someone in the face as a goal-saving resource would go down on my list of infamies and that should be reason for a contract suspension but we all remember Tassoti don't we? - as a complete display of lack of solidarity to the teammates as well as a stupid move.

Anyway, that would be my take, but you definitely have a point and maybe that's how the game system works...

Cheers,

Tele

Yes but 2 bookable offences is a lot easier to get in error than a red card for violent conduct. For 2 bookables, I normally warn or fine 1 week.