Growing attached to your players...

The following will no doubt come across as a little crazy to most, but I'm in a bit of a strange situation at the moment. It's 2017 and despite only needing six points from the remaining three games to finally, after three seasons of near misses (2015 saw us fall short by a point) smash the Eredivesie record points total, being in the final of the Dutch Cup and playing some great football a huge part of me is simply not enjoying this monumental Ajax success as much as you'd expect.

To cut a long story relatively short, 2016 saw us somehow lift the Champions League, beating Man City 1-0 through a smart Lucas Romero finish on 81 minutes - this after being behind after the first legs of each of the knockout stages. Following this ridiculous offers began flooding in for players who had been with me from the beginning. Deep down I knew they weren't really cut out for a sustained assault on the European Big Boys, so it was with a heavy heart I began negotiating transfer deals, accepting now was the time to cash in. Raked in over 148 million, reinvesting 43.6m on direct replacements of admittedly vastly superior quality, potential and in most cases even younger than the guys I already had (having not made a signing for over a year and a half, this was a bold step).

This year has been one of our most successful yet - winning the Dutch Super Cup, in the final of the domestic cup, winning the league with seven to spare, Club World Championship victory (through we struggled in Europe, losing the super cup to Spurs and then to Barca in the first knock out round of CL, despite having a solid 2-0 first leg lead) but I have barely been able to raise a smile whereas before, even if in a dour one-nil with some hapless side languishing at the bottom of the table, I'd be shouting at the screen, fist pumping the air at goals, on first name terms with all the lads... It was great.

I miss Mike Van Der Hoorn and Stefano Denswil's mix of pace and power with the odd mistake in there at the back - Zouma and Jedvaj are great, but it's just not the same.... Almost as if they're too good!

I miss Lucas Andersen doing nothing for 87 minutes, bringing me to the point of vowing to never play the useless waste of space ever again only for him to pop up with a moment of magic to clinch an all important goal in the dying minutes of an important fixture. Allione and Veratti continually excel and this frustrates me a little.

I miss Casper Sloth trying his little heart out and surprising me when I least expected it despite him not being the greatest. Van Rhijn was my steady eddy at right back, never excelled but rarely let you down.

And most of all, I miss my mate Victor Andrade - a 500k summer signing back in 2014 he had season records of 38 played and 34 scored, then 39 and 26 before finally moving to Dortmund for a massive £27.5m. I actually can't stand Mitrovic - despite the fact half the time he couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo, he's just not Victor. Fischer does his best to fill that 'Victor' void but still... I long to have the little fella back. Feels like a brother to me.

After three seasons with pretty much the same squad, bar the odd introduction of a youngster, I seem to have grown a massive bond with them and their being away from the club just rips me up inside...

... Especially as Victor has 17 in 25 for Dortmund. I'd give my kidneys to have him back, if just for one day!!!

Anyone else grow this sort of attachment to their side? Or is it time for me to go see the doctor?

I can certainly see where you are coming. My attachment to players in my Cambridge save has certainly meant that form and results have suffered during periods of my 20 plus years in charge. I have stuck by players that are maybe a league or two above their natural level, just because of the bond with them.

I find myself looking at past players like John Dafydd and studying his form and abilities more than the my current squad. My huge regret at releasing club record scorer Adam Pauley only to see no one take a punt on him and he retiring at 28.

Already I have players from my Skrill Premier days like Barry Rees on my backroom staff, my first real 'star player' Rhodri Roberts returned for a season and is now a coach.

I have a specialist shortlist just of the players that have meant something to me, its twice the size of actual transfer targets shortlist.

Im desperate to sign former captain Nigel McGlynn for my backroom staff when he finally hangs up his boots. Plucked the young man from Irish football, stayed during our rise from non league to the Championship, five seasons as club captain, ten years down the road and Chelsea came to town for his testimonial. What a man, what a player.

Emmet Sheridan. A loanee who only played 17 games on loan but scoring all five goals away from home against fierce rivals Peterborough and earning himself a perfect 10 performance. It matters not how many times he scores against me, the memory of me racing around my living room as goal after goal flew in is one of best memories from this save.

It's not just you....trust me.

Yes, I'm afraid it's time to see the doctor. Just like me and many many others here...

Hehe, yes, for sure. I'm the same way.

As an example my first save on FM14 was as per usual with my beloved Villa. After a few seasons plagued by inconsistency we start winning and eventually win the title and CL. This was with most of the base Villa squad + Villa prospects like Graham, Webb, Grealish and Gardner. The same thing happened to me as with you. Their values increased so much and I got offers for them too good to decline. I sold a whole bunch of them and replaced them with 'better' players. I started the season and quickly realized it wasn't as much fun anymore, just going through the motions of clicking continue.

I think it's the same reason I struggle with journeyman careers... I get attached to players and I want them to rack up league games and goals for the clubs, watching the stats etc. Sometimes you have to sell though, but now I try my best to keep a core of my favorite players and only shift the ones that have an attitude

Yep, to the point where every save I started I had to buy the same player over and over despite probably not needing him at all...

Damn you Pohjanpalo you beautiful long range scoring idiot... damn you.

Ha, it's good to see I'm not the only one

Kris - I am exactly like you in regards to having ex players shortlisted - John Dafydd sounds like my Victor Andrade. Sitting with £172m in the bank (I do have a long term plan for this sort of lunacy, which is buy the Amsterdam Arena outright, though that's a whole other story) I am on the brink of blowing the lot on bringing him back.

The new generation coming through, with six from the youth team with undoubted first team potential, will probably earn the same affection over time, but for now I shall just have to power through the pain...

For a bit of fun, having saved a file straight after the CL win I'm tempted to go back and replay this entire season with 'the lads'. Call it 'What Would've Been' or something similar. My own little FM drama...

If we could manage girl teams perhaps...

This is always an issue with Ajax saves, but why aren't you developing youngsters to replace those players? There is a very slight improvement that can be done to the facilities from the start of the game at Ajax, but you should still be producing some really quality players. When I managed Ajax in FM13 I just developed players along the way and it was a lot more fun than as you say, buying players like Zouma, etc.

I have a whole host of great youngsters - Yahia, Nouri, Van Der Haart, Tete, Dijks, Bazoer, a regen I got through a youth intake, CB called Rogerio are all in my first team (and have another regen through youth called Niclas Nillson who's scoring for fun on loan in the Premier League) four of those definite starters There are others out on loan as well who aren't 'quite' ready for the step up yet but given a season or so will be - about four I've earmarked so far for the leap up. Upgrading facilities was the first thing I did, as well as implemented the 'developing youth' philosophy

Only signed Zouma as he was available for 2.2m and knew he could be sold on in a season at a massive profit - along with the others I bought in. It's all part of my financing the stadium plan

This years intake has also produced a hugely exciting LB (finally) and yet another CAM who will no doubt make the first team. Got quality 16-17 year old CAM's coming out of my ears...

I guess the difference was that I like to play as Ajax as a youth project, so I focused specifically on playing regens as much as possible in addition to their current youth players and didn't really care about winning the CL (apart from the money).

Yeah, I am hellbent on producing a side made primarily of youth but as I said, a few needed another season before stepping straight into the first team and taking advantage of the transfer market at this point - remember, I hadn't signed a player in 18 months, and only four in three years before this - just made sense. I would've taken the plunge and promoted them this year but PSV are extremely strong, having run me close last season so a little extra reinforcement (over 100 million profit in one transfer window isn't to be sniffed at, and that's with rejecting 13m bids from Anji for Bazoer) was needed. Give it a year and we'll be back to form. 14 of my 23 are through the youth, it's not a bad return considering!

Anyway, going slightly off topic here Back to pining over former players please!!!

I'll chip in my story on this save. I started in Indonesia on FM13 after struggling to get into a number of saves. Originally it was apart of a challenge where I didn't think I'd get that far. Another FM and 40 odd seasons in and I'm still going. Having started off in the lower leagues of Indonesia and working my way up to be the best team ever. I've had many players come and go. Most of my backroom staff are made up of former players. I've had one of my favourites, Heru Daulay become a scout, leave and then come back as a scout. Now he's gone again and has been for sometime. I very rarely sell them and keep players who aren't considered that good because they do the job.

I've even retired my original manager now and had my created son take over. That's how much I don't want to end this save yet.

In 2009 I was on first name terms with every one of the Lurgan (Celtic) Boys. I fondly imagined them all in the room with me, all of the time, high fiving every goal (and general life success). Romance was difficult.

This thread is why people who aren't into FM will never 'get' it!

I still pine over an Italian regen that I bought for £40k in my FM10 Pompey save. Enrico Gerini, you are not forgotten.

This thread is why people who aren't into FM will never 'get' it

Yes! You just can't explain it to someone. I do the same as all of you, I keep players longer than I should, look to bring them back if I can etc. I feel bad when I don't renew contracts of long-time players because they aren't good enough. I then periodically check to see if they've gotten new clubs, and am disappointed when they haven't. It's a mania!

Salvador Cabanas was a favourite of mine... utter genius....

Heartbroken when he got shot irl.

It's a well known concept called anthropomorphisation, whereby humans attach human characteristics to animals, computers, virtual footballers etc and form attachments to them.

Anthropomorphisation - Swear he was a Greek regen I had back in 08-09

I still have the screenshots of every profile of my players in my brilliant Kolstad team in FM12. Also remember having a world-class youngster that a found in the same country. Bought him for £55k. Sold him for £8.5m after just 6 months at the club. He was absolutely miles better than anyone in my team. Sad to see him go!

I've grown attached to many of my best regens, to the point where I keep them contracted til retirement, often giving them a starting position in their last games even if they've long outlived any usefulness in my Barcelona squad. I vividly remember fist pumping when a particular favorite bagged a goal in his last ever game. On one occasion it got so bad that after signing a retired regen as assistant manager, I refused to let him go off to become manager in the same league because I didn't want to humiliate him with a defeat.

I have been playing FM2010 entirely for too long.

I've grown attached to many of my best regens, to the point where I keep them contracted til retirement, often giving them a starting position in their last games even if they've long outlived any usefulness in my Barcelona squad. I vividly remember fist pumping when a particular favorite bagged a goal in his last ever game. On one occasion it got so bad that after signing a retired regen as assistant manager, I refused to let him go off to become manager in the same league because I didn't want to humiliate him with a defeat.

I have been playing FM2010 entirely for too long.

I done something like that, in my 2nd season as Man Utd manager, Rio Ferdinand was retiring end of season. Made it to the CL final, so I decided it was only fitting to give him one last shot alongside Vidic, for nostalgia.

Didn't he go on and score the winner in a 2-1.... Storybook finish.

I still miss the world class regen striker I had. Nathan Vasquez. FM 2010. I think ended his career with something like 600 goals for Liverpool in about 800 appearances. Signed from a German team for about 25 million in 2021, scored 44 league goals in his first season aged 21. Stayed at the club till he was 38, and I'd long left(regretted it immensely). He was pretty much at a goal a game until his latter years when he dropped back to play CAM and then CM(still world class, even if the legs were going). Signed him as a coach when he retired. Awful coach though.

I still remember that attacking foursome I had. Vasquez as the lead striker. Richard Taylor as the supporting striker(I let them alternate later, he was also world class), Eddie Lawless on the wing as an inside forward, and Paul Withe on the other doing the same. The wide lads got 30 goals a season in all comps themselves. Was sad to leave the club and them when I did. Those 8 years of dominance were amazing.

I had a similar experience. I was managing Liverpool back on FM13 and this regen called Mickael Schmitt appeared on FC Metz. I had my eyes on him since then but took notice again when he signed for Utd, made his debut against me and scored against me, since then I wanted him but the Manchester United made it impossible with the value, he were sent out on loan to Spurs and Leverkusen for a season each. When he came back from Leverkusen, I blew my bank to sign him. Undoubtedly the best decision I have ever made.

He went on breaking every single goalscorer record Liverpool have had, including Roger Hunts league goals record. He made himself the highest goalscorer for France at age of 24 and basically have got me worshipping him. Keith Thompson, the "Second coming of Steven Gerrard" as I call him were amazing at CAM behind Schimtt. Omur Topbasi, Keith Thompson and Robson Machapa were the product of Liverpool and all were world class. It felt as though I brought the time where Liverpool have had its time where it won titles. We also have had more youth products that will be ready to take over when they all retired but I only intended to play until they all retired because it will not be the same without them.

I cried for a very long time and never played FM13 again since my PC unexpectedly broke and took everything including the gamesave with it. I am trying to do this success again FM14 but to no avail. Schmitt, you are a god.

I miss my 1860 München team from FM12

you will never be forgotten Rainer Maurer and Diego Barbetti.

I will never forget the time Maurer won my the 2. Bundesliga in his debut game, coming off the bench to pop up with an 87th minute winner...

Then the season he scored over 30 goals in all competitions as we won every trophy on offer

But my greatest memory from FM, was the time youngster Barbetti stepped up to take a 45 yard free kick against Bayern München. It was deep into stoppage time we were tied 1-1 and the youngster chipped Neuer to give us our first ever double over Bayern.

I think teams that i manage would have much better finances, if i would be more willing to "let go".

When ever i have a youngster with lots of potential, i just can't sell him for any price. I want to be the one to develop them and i want to see them make their career in my club, not elsewhere.

Often when i have had such a youngster in club x and i move to club y, i try to buy that guy for the new club (assuming that he has what it takes).

Latest example:

I managed Piacenza from Serie C1/A to Serie A. During that time i started to mold a regen AMC in to MC/Box to Box, he already has the MC role as natural and very good attributes for Box to Box in most part, mainly defending attributes lacking still.

He is a regular in Italy U19 and has star potential for Serie A (already on "decent for serie A" level).

So, when i got offered Internazionale job (and i took it), the first player i bought was that guy.

I know it is wrong to poach players from your old club, but at least i payed them as much as the club is worth

Now i will have the chance to see how far that guy can go, i just couldn't leave it to the hands of the AI manager.

I'm in 2027 on FM13 and focus heavily on investing in youth. My first batch of youngsters managed to force their way into the team early on and I kept signing more youngsters with the idea of selling the first batch so the new ones could replace them, but I'm having trouble selling the first ones so I end up selling the 2nd lot because I'm less attached, even though I know they will go on to be great players.

This has left me with a massive transfer budget which I don't spend because I never buy a player to walk straight into the team!

My first batch are now reaching the late stages of their careers (my 4 best DCs are all 29-30 and have been at the club since their teens and all kept happy through lots of rotation) so I'm now worried that I have to start replacing them but not sure who to drop first. I like to keep former players at the club (I have Gerrard, Carragher, Hyypia, Luis Garcia, Jovetic, Reina and Agger as coaches), so need to keep them happy enough until they retire but I'm worried one of them may get upset about losing their place and leave before I can turn them into staff.

Also got a winger who I signed for £1m, he went on to become World POTY 3 times and is now 30. I could easily sell him for big money but I'd rather keep him around until he retires.

Some great stories guys... Gotten me rather nostalgic over some great regens of my own. Found myself remembering fondly of Steven Pollard, a defender who came through the ranks in my Blackburn save in 13 - could play anyway at the back with consummate ease, ate strikers for breakfast, England captain aged 23 and our captain for 14 years. Felice Dentice (or as I called him, The Dentist) my creative Italian CAM from FM12 with an eye for a goal, never failed to get into double figures for a league season.

And last but not least Ali Ghoulami. An Iranian I had for Perugia signed for less than the price of a Mars bar, he took FM09 by storm, smashing goal scoring records in pretty much every competition he played, 350 plus goals for us over 15 glorious years. His head, his feet, his backside... All were deadly weapons in front of goal. Just his name on the team sheet used to striker fear into the oppositions hearts. I still get flashbacks of Bayern Munichs back-line quivering in fear as he tore them apart with a hat-trick inside half an hour in the 2026 CL Final...

Good times!

Yup that happens indeed. I personally am completely attached to 2 guys from the original Berwick squad and even if all the other squad is...past them skill-wise, I just can't get them out of it. They won too many matches and promotions for me, I can't let them go!!

What a fantastic thread

I've also got a young striker in my game, Romain Lejeune (born on Christmas Day), who I signed as a 14 year old for £10m. I just had a feeling about him and even after a disappointing loan spell to Parma where he scored just 3 in 24 games, I knew he would come good. At 17 I started to give him a few games, mostly in the league cup and a few easy Champions League games. At 18 he was playing all my cup games and all ECC group games, as I had a world-class striker for the league games and later stages. Lejeune just knocked in goals for fun and I decided he deserved to keep his place as my ECC striker in the knockout stages. He didn't disappoint and helped me reach the final, where he scored twice as we came from behind to take the trophy. He won player of the tournament and finished with a record 16 goals.

A star was born.

Next season I decided to promote him to being my league striker and sold 2 world-class strikers who were unhappy at their lack of games. Lejeune ripped the league to shreds, scoring 36 goals to break the league record. The next season he bagged 42 and after that 45.

He has now been the league's top scorer for 6 years in a row, world POTY twice and broke Roger Hunt's top league goalscoring record for Liverpool, all before turning 26. He is now the only player I don't rotate (unless really unfit) as I try to get him as many games and goals as possible. I dread the day that he starts to decline.

I don't grow massively attached tbh. Much prefer managing the real players over regens as well.

I do like to see a player grow and become capped at international level though.

Soo many...

Danny Villalva, bought him on every version since FM 2011. The little half pint sized legend and priceless.

He was my top scorer for Panathinaikos on FM2014 last season so seems to still have it.

Sotiris Ninis...what a player that boy has been over the years. Shame his real career hasn't been the same as all the FM careers he's had with me. Sold him for 20 million in FM 2011 and was the worst mistake i ever made, I always buy him now whenever i can and have never sold him since.

I've also brought back pretty much all of the players i had in my Panathinaikos side from FM 2011. Karagounis, Katsouranis, Bosnjak, Vyntra, Kryigakos....all 36 or over but still getting a game and producing moments of magic.

Adnan Januzaj helped me win my first Champions League with Anderlecht on FM 2012 way before Moyes had even heard of him.

I could go on and on but i grow far too attached to players and definitely all on first name/nick name terms.

Sotiris Ninis...what a player that boy has been over the years. Shame his real career hasn't been the same as all the FM careers he's had with me. Sold him for 20 million in FM 2011 and was the worst mistake i ever made, I always buy him now whenever i can and have never sold him since.

I remember Ninis - had him in a couple of teams in previous versions. Quality!

I remember Ninis - had him in a couple of teams in previous versions. Quality!

Still is mate. Just gotta give him some gentle encouragement and a bit of patience and he'll come good. First season after picking him up for a million and he hadn't scored after 20 games. Must have hit every part of the goal other than the net but stuck with him. Just kept the faith and then he finally he got that goal, a scrappy tap in from 1 yard out. The result? 10 goals in his last 10 games from centre mid as well as 20 assists for the season.....still got it.

Ivan Rakitic remains one of my all-time favourite FM players. He was one of first players I signed when I first started playing the game and boy can he score from range. He was so good right from the word go, so good at firing piledrivers off his foot every other game I built at least 6 or 7 teams around his ridiculous shooting, in FM09 (or was it FM10?) he finished as my team's top scorer for 4 consecutive seasons despite never playing as a striker and regularly hit over 20 goals per season. What a man. The only player I've seen come close to Rakitic's ridiculous ability (in FM at least) has been Sigurdsson in FM12.

This one may not go well but it has to be Iniesta. I was doing a long term save at Barca, I had my own control tactic built around him & Cesc. It was narrow - no wingers & Iniesta, until 36 years of age - was in the first team. He averaged 25 assists in the league alone every season and managed to bag over 10 goals a season until he was 34. Its what you expect of him, that I know, but as good as Messi was I knew if he wasn't there n Iniesta was, we would be fine. No matter what version I'm on I subscribe to him. Signing him can't really be done .

The one other player I'll always love is Berbatov. He was a phenom for me at united. Another player I just put before the squad. Him & chicha in FM12 - unstoppable.

Haha... No need to explain yourself to us, M.U.F.C... IF you felt an affiliation with Iniesta then good for you...

... Just wait until you get a lad through the youth system who makes Iniesta seem like Eric Djemba-Djemba.

That's when true love will blossom...

Haha... No need to explain yourself to us, M.U.F.C... IF you felt an affiliation with Iniesta then good for you...

... Just wait until you get a lad through the youth system who makes Iniesta seem like Eric Djemba-Djemba.

That's when true love will blossom...

I have, many times lol. But that was a unique experience with an 'actual' player. I've been playing CM/FM for over 10 years - I've had monsters come through and go on to be 1 club players winning the Ballon d'Or etc etc. Just Iniesta, every game he was perfect. The fact I made a tactic - then built it in a way to suit him 100% and Messi really wasn't the first name on the team sheet .

And lets be honest - no player on this earth or regen for that matter would ever make Iniesta look so average.

For me that would be Tsvetomir Todorov.

Signed him as a young lad in an FM10 (or was it 09?) save with SC Pisa in the Serie B. He was supposed to be a signing for the future, but he proved himself worthy for the first team squad quite quickly. I slowly built a team around him and he just developed magnificently! After we got promoted and struggled to stay in the Serie A the first year, he was always the one scoring the important goals, so clinical in front of the goal! And he wasn't even a real striker, he could play all the attacking roles, so he played wherever he was needed and he never let me down. After we managed to become a good mid-table team in Italy and an investor sponsored the club, expectations grew and other long-served players started leaving the club since they were simply lacking the quality. And despite Todorov only having had the potential to become a decent Serie A player when I signed him, he became a leading Serie A striker in the end, Bulgarias best player and a regular in the first team squad even when we became one of the Top 3 Clubs in Italy.

I have never ever seen a player exceed his potential by this far! His abilities as well as his performances just kept rising, even if it said he reached his full potential. The CA must have reached the PA completely, I can't explain it otherwise.

Sadly I had to find out that, in rea life, he is currently without a club and only valued with 200,000€. Nowhere near my 15€ mio FM-Todorov

Another great player from that save was Henri Saivet. He is still by far the most expensive player I ever bought, 45 mio €, but he was also the best player I have seen play in any FM (although I have to add, I don't ever play with big clubs, unless I end up managing them after a long career, but usually that's when I lose my motivation).

At least he is still playing, a regular at his home club, even though he'll never be a world class striker

Other than that I don't usually concentrate on individuals, I usually enjoy the career at a club as a whole, and that includes change in personnel. You gotta be able to let go in this business.