Promise: Don't fine player... or should you?

One of my players got angry about a fine, and I agreed with him that the fine was too harsh and unjustified.

After that personal talk, I had a new entry in my "Promises" folder: "Do not fine this player". Days counting down, I think it must have been 120 days or so.

After ~100 days, he played very bad again, rating of 5.7. I fined him, and only later remembered the promise.

Alarmed, I checked the "Promises" page, expecting to see a flashing red icon for "promise broken!!" and... nothing. The icon was still yellow as before. One day later, the news item said: "Heller accepts his fine."

So what do I make of this? Bug? Or are you actually allowed to fine players, despite promising them you don't, if the fine is justified?

One of my players got angry about a fine, and I agreed with him that the fine was too harsh and unjustified.

After that personal talk, I had a new entry in my "Promises" folder: "Do not fine this player". Days counting down, I think it must have been 120 days or so.

After ~100 days, he played very bad again, rating of 5.7. I fined him, and only later remembered the promise.

Alarmed, I checked the "Promises" page, expecting to see a flashing red icon for "promise broken!!" and... nothing. The icon was still yellow as before. One day later, the news item said: "Heller accepts his fine."

So what do I make of this? Bug? Or are you actually allowed to fine players, despite promising them you don't, if the fine is justified?

It could be the original wording thats off, that you promised not to unfairly fine a player. Or it could be that after 100 days, you've fulfilled your promise to his standards. I'd raise it anyway just to see what the coding says.

I would imagine the promise is badly worded and it should say you won't fine them without justification.

That's my read on it, too. If you fine someone you're sorta gambling that they'll accept it.

I can check, but I fear I might not have a save, as it would require that I saved exactly AFTER the match but before the fine. That was half a day of in-game time...

Man, you're strict - I never fine for performance, but if they start consistently slacking off they're benched or off to the reserves.

I fine a week for 5.7. Usually this is accepted.

Man, you're strict - I never fine for performance, but if they start consistently slacking off they're benched or off to the reserves.

Maybe fining them would make them play better? Or talking to them about their poor performance and remind them they need to perform better to stay in first team.

I usually Warn for a performance between 5.6 and 5.8

1 week fine for 5.3 - 5.5

2 week fine for 5.2 or below

Consistent bad performances I have conversations with players.

Usually sorts them all out.

Maybe fining them would make them play better? Or talking to them about their poor performance and remind them they need to perform better to stay in first team.

I usually Warn for a performance between 5.6 and 5.8

1 week fine for 5.3 - 5.5

2 week fine for 5.2 or below

Consistent bad performances I have conversations with players.

Usually sorts them all out.

All I can say if the game allows you to do that, it is not a very realistic game. If they did that in real life most of the population would never have any money to live on.

Players being fined for poor performances is very common in football, it's usually a club rule and most players accept it. I believe the money is donated to charity, but not sure where that came from?

Some players even get fined a weeks wages for poor performance in training I believe Rooney, Evans and Gibson were all fined for running around cones without enough gusto by Alex Ferguson, they were then dropped by Ferguson for the following match.

This is a professional sport with professional athletes being paid a fortune to perform at their optimal peak - and if they don't do it week in week out then they are fined.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a club by-law or perhaps in their contract or something like that. I don't know, I could be completely wrong.

This is interesting. I've never fined a player based on their performance. I only fine them after a dismissal, and even then the first time they offend in a season, is just a warning, 2nd time in a season will be a 1 week fine.

I might look at warning or fining a player who gets below, say, 5.5 then.

I'd fine 1 weeks wages for that.

Sends a strong discipline message to the rest of the club. You might notice after a thrashing and players not playing well you start to get players sent off more, this is because they don't feel disciplined and they can get away with it.

It's all about letting the players know who's in charge and to stay in line.

All I can say if the game allows you to do that, it is not a very realistic game. If they did that in real life most of the population would never have any money to live on.

Haven't you heard about Pep's rules at Bayern? I think the only unrealistic thing about fining in FM is that you can take a whole week's wages. That's too much money to take away for one bad game.

Haven't you heard about Pep's rules at Bayern? I think the only unrealistic thing about fining in FM is that you can take a whole week's wages. That's too much money to take away for one bad game.

Easy change to make it a percentage of a week's wage, up to 200% representing two week's wages.

Only fines I ever do are for red cards:

1st red card in a season: warn

2nd red card : fine 1 week

3rd red card : fine 2 weeks

Unless the red cards are ones I appeal against. I've never fined for poor performances, this is where I would drop them instead.

I was fining players for 6.3s and 6.4s

Prefer to just warn them for a poor performance, depends on the player but usually get a more positive response (but could save two weeks worth of wages!)

Would like the game to have additional fine options and for more varied reasons.

Wengers fines code:

''OFFENCE

Non attendance of unused players at Home matches without permission of manager

FINE

£1000

Late for training

FINE

< 15 mins £250, > 15 mins £500

Late for treatment/massage

< 15 mins £250, > 15 mins £500

Late for travel

FINE

£500

Late for match day meetings / meals

FINE

£250

Wrong kit on match days

FINE

£100

Inappropriate clothing outside of the dressing room

FINE

£100

Outdoor shoes in the dressing room

FINE

£100

Newspapers, laptops and phones in the medical room

FINE

£100

Newspapers in dressing room

FINE

£100

Non production of urine sample for two consecutive weeks

FINE

£200

Phone calls in the building (texting allowed)

FINE

£500

No participating in commercial activities (including Club Day)

FINE

£500''

Only fines I ever do are for red cards:

1st red card in a season: warn

2nd red card : fine 1 week

3rd red card : fine 2 weeks

Unless the red cards are ones I appeal against. I've never fined for poor performances, this is where I would drop them instead.

That's not how you're supposed to fine players, and I mean in the strictest possible way of how fines work in FM, not your own personal reasons for fining players.

Your rationale for fining is completely sound, but it's just not how the game works in terms of discipline.

Two Yellow Cards = Warning

Red Card for Professional Foul = 1 Week Fine

Red Card Violent Behaviour = 2 Weeks Fine

And you can't fine a player 2 weeks wages for being sent off repeatedly. You need to stick to the general rules of fining and you'll see the discipline improve.

Your current method, where it's a good working model, doesn't reflect how the game works. You'll always risk upsetting other players in the squad by being an over disciplinary in a draconian manor.

We can work from any save between the promise being set & the 2nd fine.

Hi Alex, sorry for the delay.

I just uploaded the save, called "Darmstadt.fm" into the game-save folder.

The player in question is Marcel Heller, there are still 82 days left on the "Do not fine this player" promise.

If you find out anything interesting, I'd be happy to hear about it.

I can't believe so many people fine for poor performances! That just seems mean.

Only fines I ever do are for red cards:

1st red card in a season: warn

2nd red card : fine 1 week

3rd red card : fine 2 weeks

Unless the red cards are ones I appeal against. I've never fined for poor performances, this is where I would drop them instead.

Same here, and if they're consistently poor I look to get rid of them.

Same here, and if they're consistently poor I look to get rid of them.

See post #19

I can't believe so many people fine for poor performances! That just seems mean.

The game engine rewards you by pushing the stats for Work Rate and/or Determination. So it's not mean but pure positive character development for players.

See post #19

Yeah, I saw it. In truth, I probably follow what you said more then IMT's version. Every incident will be judged in its own right. I've not had disciplinary problems for a long time. I don't like to discipline players too much. I don't think it's worth it.

I find that if you don't do it you get

a) Other members of the squad worried about discipline

b) You see more red cards than usual from other players

I see it as a necessary evil, and the game is programmed, evidently, that the players accept these fines.

Once or twice I'll have a player be concerned they were fined, but I just say Assertively that they deserved it and I stick by my decision. If they continue, I say Aggressively, I can't believe how professional you are being, stop questioning my decisions and get on with your job.

That usually sorts it out.

Only fines I ever do are for red cards:

1st red card in a season: warn

2nd red card : fine 1 week

3rd red card : fine 2 weeks

Unless the red cards are ones I appeal against. I've never fined for poor performances, this is where I would drop them instead.

Never fining for poor performances.

Only red cards and absence from training:

2 Yellow > red = 1 week fining

1 straight red = 2 week fining

1. absence = 1 week

2. absence = 2 week

3. absence = sold the player

Again, if it's for a professional foul, 1 week fine is suffice.

Violent behaviour = 2 week fine.

But whatever works for you.

Absence = 2 week fine.

2nd absence - sent to reserves with stern talking to and 2 week fine

3rd absence - 2 week fine - offer mutual termination or give leave of absence

By the way, I realized another problem in this matter:

The player in question, the one who has the "Do not fine"-Promise has a "Slight concern", which apparently is linked to this incident and to the promise. The promise seems to run until the end of the season.

Effect: I can't offer the player a new contract, his agent argues that the player is "not happy here".

That is, as far as I can see, not true: The morale of the player is good, and as the incident with the accepted fine shows, the player feels actually treated correctly. If I praise him for conduct or good games, or critisize him, he always reacts in a friendly and assertive manner.

Also: The fact that this "promise" exists is simply due to the fact that I apologized to him. There have been other incidents where players complained about X or Y and I remained hard and did not apologize, so they were sulky but then the "Slight concern" button vanished after awhile. In this case, as being said, the button seems to be linked to the promise, and apparently does not vanish until the promise is fulfilled.

Result: I will probably loose the player because I cannot renew his contract, simply because I fined him, apologized later and thus made a "promise" until the end of the season.

That sounds a bit silly, no?

Never fining for poor performances.

Only red cards and absence from training:

2 Yellow > red = 1 week fining

1 straight red = 2 week fining

1. absence = 1 week

2. absence = 2 week

3. absence = sold the player