Bang average youngsters

For the past few seasons I've been getting pretty average youth players and I'd love to know what the reason behind it is. I'm Arsenal and I've improved all my facilities so I've got top training and youth facilities, exceptional Junior coaching, extensive youth recruitment and I've also got Dave Parnaby as head of youth development and in my opinion he's one of the better ones you can hire so with all that in place I wonder why I'm still getting 3* at best when it comes to youth players

3* @ arsenal are usually 130-150 potential types. not bad. and they might be more. it might just be a dry spell for your club, and dont just look at the star ratings, ive seen excellent PL level players with under 125 potential before

Well, most of them are under 18, so I cannot do that ;D

oh look, a guy that expects world-beaters every season just because he's upgraded his facilities

Looking at the Arsenal academy IRL - taking players (with wiki pages) from the FA Cup Youth Final (played in 2008/09 - 5 years of development in them since, most are 23 now):

Craig Eastmond - DR - currently plays for Colchester

Thomas Cruise - DC - currently plays for Torquay

Emmanuel Frimpong - MC - 12 premiership appearances, currently plays for newly promoted Russian side Ufa

Kyle Bartley - probable 3rd or 4th choice DC for Swansea, played for Rangers and a few C'ship appearances for Birmingham (pretty well known)

Luke Ayling - playing for Bristol City

Henri Lansbury - a key component of the Forest side (also pretty well known)

Gilles Sunu - currently playing for Lorient (and has a record of 1 goal every 10 games, for a striker?)

Francis Coquelin - currently in the Arsenal first team, but hasn't been selected so far this season

Jack Wilshere - do I really need to tell you about him? The best of the bunch

Jay Emmanuel Thomas - part of the Bristol City side, a pretty prolific striker (shame it's league one though)

Rhys Murphy - makes regular appearances for Dagenham&Redbridge

Sanchez Watt - plays for Colchester somewhat regularly

Cedric Evina - moved around the clubs, currently at Doncaster Rovers

Oguzhan Ozyakup - makes regular appearances for Besiktas

okay... 2 of those are definate are prem standard (Wilshere and Ozyakup) as well as 3 possibles (Frimpong, Coquelin, Bartley)

that's a strike rate of 5/15 over 130CA (fringe prem standard) in 5 years development with one outstanding effort (around the 170/180CA)

so what's the problem again?

I've got the 2nd-rated team in Europe, I've maxed out my facilities, a slew of world-class coaches, and I'm lucky to produce 1 or 2 2* players every intake. I develop them as best I can and hang onto them to count toward the home-grown and U-23 requirements and then move them along later.

For the past few seasons I've been getting pretty average youth players and I'd love to know what the reason behind it is. I'm Arsenal and I've improved all my facilities so I've got top training and youth facilities, exceptional Junior coaching, extensive youth recruitment and I've also got Dave Parnaby as head of youth development and in my opinion he's one of the better ones you can hire so with all that in place I wonder why I'm still getting 3* at best when it comes to youth players

England has an average rating of 130 Ability score. In other words, even Manchester United maxed out will still 9 times out of 10 create a youth product of on average; Championship standard.

You're likely to only get one or two good youth per season, sometimes and most often, zero. It's why there's a good reason to poach from other countries like France/Germany/Holland/Italy which, all have higher base averages in ability scores than England.

Only thing I disagree with about all this is that the USA is average: 140... >_< I know we're not that brilliant in England but come on! >_>

For the past few seasons I've been getting pretty average youth players and I'd love to know what the reason behind it is. I'm Arsenal and I've improved all my facilities so I've got top training and youth facilities, exceptional Junior coaching, extensive youth recruitment and I've also got Dave Parnaby as head of youth development and in my opinion he's one of the better ones you can hire so with all that in place I wonder why I'm still getting 3* at best when it comes to youth players

Dont expect to produce world class player every year lol. World class players are rare. As you have maxed out the youth recruitment, you have the potentiel to produce the best possible players. Although its quite random and you have to depend somehow on luck

to get new super regens.

Speaking of Dave Parnaby, i agree he aint bad, but as a team of Arsenals size i think its arguable that there are better options available. :-)

Erm 3 star players can be absolutely outstanding? I've had 3 star players described as having the potential to be "a leading xxxx League player in the future".

Don't be stupid enough to just look at the stars, actually read what the coaches have to say.

Erm 3 star players can be absolutely outstanding? I've had 3 star players described as having the potential to be "a leading xxxx League player in the future".

Don't be stupid enough to just look at the stars, actually read what the coaches have to say.

This, whilst also actually looking at the attribute distribution of each player in the youth intakes.

Erm 3 star players can be absolutely outstanding? I've had 3 star players described as having the potential to be "a leading xxxx League player in the future".

Don't be stupid enough to just look at the stars, actually read what the coaches have to say.

This. It's also relative to your own players, so if you have a team of Messi-type quality players, 3 stars is good.

To add further to what I said before, my first choice goalkeeper is rated at "just" 2 & a half stars, but my coaches say he would be 'A leading player for most La Liga sides'.

This. It's also relative to your own players, so if you have a team of Messi-type quality players, 3 stars is good.

Just to further emphasis on this, at my club I have Sneijder who is 4 1/2 stars with 159 as his Current Ability which means the average would be somewhere around the 135ish mark for the club on a 3 star. Tom Cleverly at the same club, same position, has 2 1/2 stars and is on 135 Current Ability, so a difference of 'only' 24 but a difference of a whole 2 stars. A big difference in the bright yellow spots for, what seems like, not much difference in ability.

Finally I have a regen who I am planning to be my next Sneijder after being bought by the club in 2014. Currently sits at 1 1/2 stars, 110 Current Ability, but has 4 as his Potential Ability. Last year his Potential Ability was 4 1/2 stars but this has dropped, not because he has regressed but because of the quality players now at the club - Sneijder.

So don't take the stars as being gospel, as they can fluctuate depending on the talent pool around. Potential Ability, on the other hand, doesn't fluctuate and this is decipherable via coach reports and monitoring their training

Just to further emphasis on this, at my club I have Sneijder who is 4 1/2 stars with 159 as his Current Ability which means the average would be somewhere around the 135ish mark for the club on a 3 star. Tom Cleverly at the same club, same position, has 2 1/2 stars and is on 135 Current Ability, so a difference of 'only' 24 but a difference of a whole 2 stars. A big difference in the bright yellow spots for, what seems like, not much difference in ability.

Finally I have a regen who I am planning to be my next Sneijder after being bought by the club in 2014. Currently sits at 1 1/2 stars, 110 Current Ability, but has 4 as his Potential Ability. Last year his Potential Ability was 4 1/2 stars but this has dropped, not because he has regressed but because of the quality players now at the club - Sneijder.

So don't take the stars as being gospel, as they can fluctuate depending on the talent pool around. Potential Ability, on the other hand, doesn't fluctuate and this is decipherable via coach reports and monitoring their training

PA can fluctuate in terms of scout reports though;

Give you an example;

102 PA 15 year old - Actually got rated 4.5 stars PA by my scouts - This is Man Utd with 180+ PA/CA players in around the third year - at this point 160CA players were getting 'two/three' stars in line with the talent pool I had.

Now normally, they're not off the mark with their stars-PA rating but it has been said they can be wrong and in this case, he was well off the mark. He wasn't even that good of a player tbh, I only checked him out specifically because of the scouting, 9 times out of 10 I would never have looked at him. But hey, they're only human.

Erm 3 star players can be absolutely outstanding? I've had 3 star players described as having the potential to be "a leading xxxx League player in the future".

Don't be stupid enough to just look at the stars, actually read what the coaches have to say.

To add further to what I said before, my first choice goalkeeper is rated at "just" 2 & a half stars, but my coaches say he would be 'A leading player for most La Liga sides'.

*cough*Joao Pedro*cough*

*cough*Joao Pedro*cough*

To be fair, he has once upon a time been rated a four stars. Long and distand pass mind!

oh look, a guy that expects world-beaters every season just because he's upgraded his facilities

Looking at the Arsenal academy IRL - taking players (with wiki pages) from the FA Cup Youth Final (played in 2008/09 - 5 years of development in them since, most are 23 now):

Craig Eastmond - DR - currently plays for Colchester

Thomas Cruise - DC - currently plays for Torquay

Emmanuel Frimpong - MC - 12 premiership appearances, currently plays for newly promoted Russian side Ufa

Kyle Bartley - probable 3rd or 4th choice DC for Swansea, played for Rangers and a few C'ship appearances for Birmingham (pretty well known)

Luke Ayling - playing for Bristol City

Henri Lansbury - a key component of the Forest side (also pretty well known)

Gilles Sunu - currently playing for Lorient (and has a record of 1 goal every 10 games, for a striker?)

Francis Coquelin - currently in the Arsenal first team, but hasn't been selected so far this season

Jack Wilshere - do I really need to tell you about him? The best of the bunch

Jay Emmanuel Thomas - part of the Bristol City side, a pretty prolific striker (shame it's league one though)

Rhys Murphy - makes regular appearances for Dagenham&Redbridge

Sanchez Watt - plays for Colchester somewhat regularly

Cedric Evina - moved around the clubs, currently at Doncaster Rovers

Oguzhan Ozyakup - makes regular appearances for Besiktas

okay... 2 of those are definate are prem standard (Wilshere and Ozyakup) as well as 3 possibles (Frimpong, Coquelin, Bartley)

that's a strike rate of 5/15 over 130CA (fringe prem standard) in 5 years development with one outstanding effort (around the 170/180CA)

so what's the problem again?

Erm I don't expect world beaters every year I'm well aware that won't happen I was simply asking why I haven't brought through better players over the years, nothing wrong in asking questions are there ? This is what the threads are for last time I checked

Erm 3 star players can be absolutely outstanding? I've had 3 star players described as having the potential to be "a leading xxxx League player in the future".

Don't be stupid enough to just look at the stars, actually read what the coaches have to say.

Well I haven't been "stupid enough" to only look at the stars I do read what the coaches say which is why I made this thread asking

Dont expect to produce world class player every year lol. World class players are rare. As you have maxed out the youth recruitment, you have the potentiel to produce the best possible players. Although its quite random and you have to depend somehow on luck

to get new super regens.

Speaking of Dave Parnaby, i agree he aint bad, but as a team of Arsenals size i think its arguable that there are better options available. :-)

really like who ?

Well I haven't been "stupid enough" to only look at the stars I do read what the coaches say which is why I made this thread asking

Well, all you did was refer to the star ratings and not what the coaches had said, so on the face of it you did come across as being "Stupid Enough".

Well, all you did was refer to the star ratings and not what the coaches had said, so on the face of it you did come across as being "Stupid Enough".

Well good thing I clarified that I looked at what the coaches said so we now know I wasn't stupid enough not to do so