How to make Football Manager better (in the youth way)

I know it's too late to say this, so I suggest it for future Football Manager editions:

WHAT ABOUT MANAGE YOUTH AND U-21s TEAMS? WHY NOT?

Think about it.

There're so many people who'd like to start a 'realistic' career. Starting from the bottom and climb, sooner or later, to the top. Or not! Just make yourself a world recognized youth football players developer.

Here's the point. No experience, no qualification, young person... And you have the chance to train the youths of a Spanish Second Division team. You'd have to complete some targets as, for example:

- Program training sessions that would help young players to play the role/position required by club's 1st team philosophy.

- Make them play as the 1st team.

- Meet the sporting targets (win a title, be competitive or just stay safe on the table)

Depending on the club's philosophy, you'll get the chance to manage teams above you (U21s, B teams, 1st teams)... or not. If you get the Manchester United's youths and the 1st team manager is sacked, probably they will not think about you as the ideal candidate. Instead, if you are Recreativo de Huelva's youth manager, maybe you could get a chance.

Of course, you'll need to be in permanent contact with main managers. They'll ask you for anything they need: a left back for a national Cup tie against a lower quality rival, assuming the 1st team tactics (despite of you have the right one in your head)... or your dismissal. On the other hand, you could ask them for help: more trainers, a friendly with the 1st team, a young player he is not using and you need to win the Youth League... Who knows?

This could have many paths: start from the bottom and get to the top (as I said); be one of the greatest youth developers in the world (as I said... think about Cruyff or Laureano Ruiz); be good enough to be asked to manage an Under-X national team (that's almost impossible at FM15).

I think the idea is clear. I don't know if it would be easy to make, that's the truth, but some of us are a little bit tired of the same things every year. Yes, there are improvements in tactics, but there're other things that could make this saga REALLY BIG!

...and addictive.

What do you think?

I do kinda think it could work, but then it'd basically be FM without the media (yay) and the signing of players/staff

maybe you only got the job in the first place because the manager knows you, so you can set some good attributes (good communication, friendly relationship with the senior manager)

obviously it'd be a bit slow-going to start with (C teams for years, then dealing with lower-league, or maybe a promotion from within to the big leagues)

and then you'd have to appease the boss (win the league? develop player XYZ? make the players familiar with formation?)

as well as having to deal with staff/players that you can't influence (the AI signing some right bad-attribute people)

and maybe influencing some decisions that come your way

providing some insight into youth players that rip up against you (Player X scored a hattrick against us, maybe look at signing him?)

or maybe some flaws on the tactical side if you play the same system (we're being shredded by a pacy winger, I recommend a more-defensive DR if we come up against this)

and then that can flow on to a bigger role:

On of our policies is developing youth, can you enlighten your expertise?

-While at Club X, a main focus was on developing the youth from within - I was particularly proud of Player Y, who came from obscurity to become a key player for them within 3 seasons

We understand that you were given a tactic to use, do you have any thoughts of your own

-I like to keep the system that I'm familiar with, but I was responsible for seeing the weakness in Season XY/YZ, which we worked on over the summer and fine tuned the role (leading to promotion/overachieving the following season)

So while at Club X, we understand that you weren't given control of the signings/staff, would you be interested in more control in this matter?

-Obviously I didn't agree with everyone the manager bought in for us, but my pedigree shows that I can develop people (insert recent star that you managed here). However, I would like to have my own choice with players that I can bring in

Then why do you want to join us as manager?

-I feel that I've outgrown my role there, and want a role that's more hands-on in order to further my career. I didn't think that role was going to become available for me at the previous club.

Has been 'suggested' recently and SI has said that it won't happen (at least not any time soon) because it'll be boring and very few will actually use it so it'll be a waste spending weeks/months on such a feature.

For now, start at a B team. That's the closest you'll get.

Am currently in the second season of an FM14 save with Real Madrid C in the Spanish Third Division - whilst it is enjoyable, am likely to lose my job at the end of the season as RM Castilla will be relegated from the Second divison, meaning I will be relegated regardless of where I finish due to league rules.

I have the youngest squad in the division (avg age 19.6) and have found some of the challenges include not having control over the loaning out of players/releasing of players as these are controlled by the main Director of Foroball automatically; also players being moved up to Castilla if they are playing well meaning I lost 3 of my first XI in one week without warning

I take the view it is developing my manager 'back story' for future jobs as the save progresses as it is basically a starting point/under-20 job

Has been 'suggested' recently and SI has said that it won't happen (at least not any time soon) because it'll be boring and very few will actually use it so it'll be a waste spending weeks/months on such a feature.

For now, start at a B team. That's the closest you'll get.

Ah, too bad.

I'd love to have the opportunity to work myself up the ladder. Starting with the youth team and so on.

That's pretty much what i do with this game. Start low and work myself up.

Even though it wouldn't be as exciting i would find it hell of a lot more fun than international management.

I find international management extremely boring. I'd rather scrap that and be able to be appointed youth manager instead.

Just start as a LLM and buy only players under 24

And we already kinda are doing it. Hate that the u21-manager doesn't automatically takes players from the u18-team to fill up their match-squad, like they did on earlier versions of FM :-(