Third Choice Goalkeepers

How do people treat third choice goalkeepers in FM? I'm managing Sunderland and have two great keepers at the club in the 2016/17 season: Benoit Costil and Francesco Bardi. Costil is currently the first choice and Bardi plays in cup games or before a big game when I don't want to risk Costil getting an injury. They are the only two senior goalkeepers at the club, which I realized recently when Costil did pick up an injury (albeit only keeping out of one game). But its got me thinking about what kind of goalkeeper makes a good third choice. These are all the keepers I have on the books:

Stryek, on loan at Yeovil, is the most promising and my assistant tells me he's got the potential to be a "good" goalkeeper at Premier League level, while the others don't. So I'm thinking he would probably be fine as third choice but I'm guessing he'll get fed up and want to move somewhere to play more regular first team football. So the other option is to bring someone in who won't care if he's not playing; maybe someone in their mid 30s, winding down their career and moving into coaching.

This isn't a post asking for help deciding what to do, I'm just interested. How do you choose your third choice keeper?

Never had one, always just 1st choice & a u21's keeper on the bench/cup games.

Personally I never really aim to have a third choice keeper.

I aim for two who compete for for the starting role and then rely on a youth keeper in an emergency. If one of my first two gets a long term injury I generally look to loan someone in as cover.

Bardi

My third choice depends on the ages of my first and second. If my main goalkeepers are quite old, my third choice will be a youngster being mentored by one of the former. If one or both of my main keepers are quite young (by goalkeeping standards) my third choice will be an old hand.

In my current save I have 3 goalkeepers of relatively equal ability - though that wasn't intentional. One is a youngster who is improving very well whilst out on loan, whereas the other two are 31 and 33 respectively.

Generally I'll have my main keeper, a back up keeper and the third one will either be a youngster or an experienced guy plucked out of the free transfers in his last season.

I usually go for one main keeper and a youngster to back him up, i never have 3 keepers in the first team squad, there is never a need. I also dont put a keeper on the bench for games.

I don`t really have a 3rd choice as such.

I have a top notch keeper with my 2nd one, a 22 year old good premier league goalkeeper who plays around 15 games per season and my 3rd one is a hot prospect who is 19 and makes appearance in cup/lower games from time to time.

I usually go for one main keeper and a youngster to back him up, i never have 3 keepers in the first team squad, there is never a need. I also dont put a keeper on the bench for games.

exactly this. Two senior keepers is a waste of a squad registration place for me.

My 3rd keeper is usually a youth keeper or an keeper close to retirement who I employ for tutoring purposes.

My 3rd keeper is usually a youth keeper or an keeper close to retirement who I employ for tutoring purposes.

Same here for me.

I always have a promising youth player as 3rd keeper. He plays in the U21's unless either the first two are injured.

I never plan further than 2 'keepers. My main keeper plus a youngster with potential who I'll rotate to get cup games. I've never needed a third keeper other than to warm the bench when one keeper gets injured, so it doesn't matter to me at all.

It's always 2 GK's and a youngster for me.

I never plan further than 2 'keepers. My main keeper plus a youngster with potential who I'll rotate to get cup games. I've never needed a third keeper other than to warm the bench when one keeper gets injured, so it doesn't matter to me at all.

Yup im the same, i can count on one hand the number of times i've needed to either replace my keeper during a game, or needed more than 2 keepers because of injury, so i just dont bother with each.

Yup im the same, i can count on one hand the number of times i've needed to either replace my keeper during a game, or needed more than 2 keepers because of injury, so i just dont bother with each.

I'll vouch for that as well. I have one keeper and a young player as a backup, and if the first choice keeper gets injured then I'll just loan in some cover.

One main, one youth, one crapster.

Having a backup keeper this year is just a nightmare since they moan.

I'm the same as most others. 1st choice, back up, then a youth keeper. My back up keeper was a part of my youth intake in my first season, and by the start of the 3rd season, he's a regular. My 1st choice keeper is 17, the back up is 21 and the 'youth' is 16. I'm screwed if the main 2 get injured before a big game...

One main, one youth, one crapster.

Having a backup keeper this year is just a nightmare since they moan.

In my experience they've always moaned.

I try and keep a simple system: my first choice keeper, obviously, is the best one. My backup is a promising youngster, while I try and pick up someone in their early thirties (with decent experience) from the lower leagues as third choice. On past versions, I'd look to someone like Chris Day or Carlo Nash; they're only going to play twice a season, max - unless I use them for cups - and they rarely make mistakes. They're still no match for world-class opposition, but the defence should help them out against everyone else.

This year I've mostly been using Peter Brezovan in that role; he's a solid keeper, lowish expectations and doesn't moan when he's third choice at a big club. To be honest, they're good tutors for youngsters, they've been there and done everything - somehow, FM seems to appreciate the benefit of experience - and if you pick the right one, you often get a decent goalkeeping coach out of it when he retires.

I have a 1st choice and and 2nd choice.

1st choice - experienced 30+ player

2nd choice - under 24 and I rotate in the nothing games

3rd choice - under 18

I recently sold my 2nd choice because my u18 gk turned 19 and was looking better.

2nd choice went for 15m + % of next fee.

Not too bad.

I now have a 34+ GK

21 year old GK

U18 GK again

The 19 GK will take over from the 36 year old at the end of the season with his contract due to expire.

I won't be rotating for a while now.

Getting a good goalkeeper always seems an issue for me. The scouts lie. So I end up with 2 or 3 keepers with the #1 up for grabs. At the point where I actually have a #1, one will just have to be a backup, and the rest get loaned out.

Just to echo the consensus, my primary keeper I have a mid-20 age keeper that I usually try to keep until his late 30s and my second keeper is usually in his late 30s as I rarely use him, he's only on the books for experience more a retired international

At Man Utd, David De Gea is my main keeper, with Alex McCarthy an able deputy when required, and then I have my choice (Johnstone) out on loan. I have 3 high-potential keepers in my U18s.

I don't really care about age. If I have a young GK with high potential, I'll loan him rather than have him as 3rd choice. Often I'll look to free transfers, lowest possible salary, but still good enough to cover a game in a pinch. Trained in nation is a must.

There's always a couple competent veteran goalkeepers available on a free transfer at the end of the window. I sign them to cheap one-year deals that are heavily incentive-laden. Extension after a certain number of games, salary after a certain number of games, clean sheet bonus, appearance bonus, team of the year bonus. Which, if all goes well, he'll never reach because he's rotting in my Reserves. Most of the time they end up complaining about first team football by December (England, so around midseason). Sometimes I'm able to sell them off for a modest profit despite their never having played a game. Other times, they're just a minor headache for six more months then leave. If they have a good personality, they tutor a young keeper while they're around. Rinse, repeat.

It may be unnecessary but from time to time I have a major injury crisis at GK and the 3rd choice is solid enough - having been picked from the very top of the scrapheap at the very least - and I don't suffer much, if at all.

Alternatively, if I have a very good youngster who isn't quite ready to be loaned out, I'll skip all that entirely. Or if I'm very strapped for cash, I'll loan a prospect with a relatively high CA (and low PA, because I don't care) from some club/manager I don't care if I **** off, then never really play them unless I have to either. Hey, the AI screws me over on loans all the time, so sometimes I return the favor.

1 first choice keeper and usually 2 youth keepers. Good way to add numbers to the homegrown player counter during squad registration.

I just have my most promising youth as backup even when managing at the top level. Sometimes they surprise you!