[FM20] Irchester Utd. Tier 10. England. Home. Youth Only.

[Jimbokav1971]

33 minutes ago, rrozek93 said:

Liam Watts another gem ! Very nice. Keep them coming  

Actually there are a few that look decent from this intake. 

(31a) Liam Watts (FIN) * looks good, but possibly too good for us to hang on to. 

I think (31b) Pat O'Grady (IRL) Pro might be an important player for us. He's not as "stand-out" amazing as some of the others that we have seen come through, but I really like the look of him and we are a little weak on the right hand side. 

(31c) Zakim Back * is a bit of a strange one in that he is more suited to playing up front, but I have a few strikers and don't have a problem putting the ball in the net. I really like his mentals and see him more as a central midfielder. 

(31d) Chris Lloyd * is one for the future, but I need him now. The sooner we play him, the quicker he will improve. We are lacking in the middle of the pitch and he needs to step up. 

[Sheriff7]

4 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake day. Mar 2031. 

Squad by PPA. 

Nations already represented in previous Intakes. 

New Nations represented in this Youth Intake. 

(31a) Liam Watts (FIN).

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Summary. Apr 2031. 

BetVictor Premier Division South.

Playoffs. Usually I would be happy that we had been promoted. I'm not happy. I'm furious. 

Final League Table. We lost 5 and drew 1 of our last 10 games of the season, (before the Playoffs), taking only 13 points from a possible 30. To put that in perspective, we took 22 points out of the previous 10 games and 19 points from the 10 before that. We completely choked and the reason we choked is because I broke my golden rule and got greedy and prioritised squad selection for the FA Trophy, and as a result we coughed up a 10 point lead in the league.  You should be reading about how we won the league with ease and congratulating me on another trophy. 

FA Cup. This was our best run in this competition for a while. Very happy with that. 

FA Trophy. While I'm happy with our progress in this competition, I was naive in the extreme to think that we could go all the way when we are playing at Tier 7 and teams in Tier 5 enter this competition.  The 2 draws, (and then 2 replays), knocked the stuffing out of us in March, and as a result we won just 1 league game in this month.

Southern League Cup. We won this trophy last season, so I didn't have to worry about winning it before we were promoted. 

Goal-scoring keepers. (27b) Waumsley * joined Sunderland in League 1 after being a mainstay in our side for the last 3 seasons. He scored 8 goals this season before leaving, and 2 other GK's added another 4 between them by the end of the season.

Overall Best XI.

Awards.

Squad by Appearances. We played a whopping 60 games this season in the end, and as a result no less than 3 outfield players starter more than 40 games and another made 49 appearances including substitute appearances. 

Discipline. I know this is on the back-burner at the moment, but to be tied at the top of the bookings table, while actually being up near the top of the league table is impressive. We also received 52 more yellows, (yes I said Fifty Two), in Cup games this season. 

We were only shown 4 red cards in the league, (which surprises me), but when I take Cup games into account the figure rises to 9 for the season. 

Finances. We are struggling financially and until we can sign players to proper contracts and then sell them on for a fee this isn't going to change. We're now able to offer part-time contracts though, but I can't remember is this enough to keep players at the club..... I think so, but I really can't remember. I've tried to sign about 12-14 players on P/T contracts so we will see how that changes things. 

Facilities. 

Transfers. 

Tracker. 

Records. 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

(31a) Liam Watts (FIN) *. Jun 2031. 

As soon as we ticked over to the 2031/32 season, this transfer went through. 

He had refused to enter into negotiations with regards to a new contract so there was nothing we could do.

Despite the fact that we got no money for him leaving, he certainly did contribute. 6 goals and 2 assists in 6 games after he came through the intake was instrumental in us winning the Playoffs. He's already been capped by Finland at U21 level. 

[Jimbokav1971]

International recognition. Jun 2031. 

In acknowledgement of (31a) Liam Watts (FIN) * getting U21 caps for Finland at such a young age, I thought it might be time to recap products of our Academy who have been capped at U21 or Senior level. 

The big news is obviously that (30a) James (DMA) * has already been capped at Senior level Dominica. I'm delighted that he opted for Dominica rather than England. He's going to earn a LOT of caps. He's been transferred from Sutton Utd to Burnley, who were promoted as Championship Champions last season and play in the Premier League this season. I'm not sure that's a good move for (30a) James (DMA) *. I don't think he's going to get the playing time he needs to develop and probably needs to go out on loan. He was a regular starter for Sutton Utd last season, but I wonder where and when his next senior appearance might come. 

[Thebaker]

have you had the same issues with poaching in this save and would you sign them if they are available?

I would agree with your thoughts on Back although playing him as a DLF in a front 2 is  another possibility. (something i do)

[Jimbokav1971]

14 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

have you had the same issues with poaching in this save and would you sign them if they are available?

I would agree with your thoughts on Back although playing him as a DLF in a front 2 is  another possibility. (something i do)

Very good question with regards to poaching & something I had not considered until you asked. 

Yes, if someone is poached from our Academy and actually comes through the intake at another club, I will consider them a "product of our Academy" and they will be eligible for transfer. I haven't had one yet actually, (which is a surprise), but will let you know if and when I do. 

[scousevasey]

6 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

I'm not sure that's a good move for (30a) James (DMA) *. I don't think he's going to get the playing time he needs to develop and probably needs to go out on loan. He was a regular starter for Sutton Utd last season, but I wonder where and when his next senior appearance might come. 

Spoiler - his next appearance comes at Irchester on loan for the season, scoring 4 goals in the first 15 minutes, and ending with six in the one game.

Between game one and two he damages his vertebrae and is out for 6 months.

When he comes back he scores 12 in four games, before getting injured again and being recalled.

He still ends up as joint 3rd top scorer for Irchester based on the five games.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, scousevasey said:

Spoiler - his next appearance comes at Irchester on loan for the season, scoring 4 goals in the first 15 minutes, and ending with six in the one game.

Between game one and two he damages his vertebrae and is out for 6 months.

When he comes back he scores 12 in four games, before getting injured again and being recalled.

He still ends up as joint 3rd top scorer for Irchester based on the five games.

You know, I haven't even tried to get him in on loan, because even when I rotate the whole squad we don't have a problem finding the net. The problem is more keeping them out at the other end. 

Having said that, I might have a cheeky little bid and see what I can do. If not with him, then maybe some of the others who have left and aren't playing. 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[scousevasey]

32 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

 

Having said that, I might have a cheeky little bid and see what I can do. If not with him, then maybe some of the others who have left and aren't playing. 

It might have an impact on your finances as they will be on a bigger wage, but it would stop them stagnating (ignoring the difference in training facilities, they will get game time)

[Jimbokav1971]

Job Offer #18. Nov 2031.

[Nobby_McDonald]

You're cooking on gas now Jimbo and getting some excellent players coming through.

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, Nobby_McDonald said:

You're cooking on gas now Jimbo and getting some excellent players coming through.

Yeah, quite happy with how it's going at the moment. 

Being able to offer P/T contracts is a big step, but the length is still only a 1 season max. All steps in the right direction I suppose. 

[Nobby_McDonald]

At least you then get some money if somebody leaves.

[Jimbokav1971]

Just now, Nobby_McDonald said:

At least you then get some money if somebody leaves.

Yeah, it hasn't happened yet, but I'm worried that they will just leave on a free at the end of the season when their contract expires now. 

I can't remember how long they have to have been at the club under the age of 24 for us to be eligible for compensation. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2031. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

New record. Jan 2032. 

Things are not going well. 

[Jimbokav1971]

We win! Jan 2032. 

[deez0r]

Keep at it mate, this is when it will get very tough! How you finding it? A slog or enjoying?

[Jimbokav1971]

6 minutes ago, deez0r said:

Keep at it mate, this is when it will get very tough! How you finding it? A slog or enjoying?

No, it's certainly not a slog at all.

I don't think I have some sort of right to just romp through the leagues. Considering that I'm playing a Youth Only save, I think it's remarkable that we've already made this progress. 

It was relatively easy now, but having to muck about with contract negotiations now is a pain when you can only offer a 1 year contract, but all these little progressions are stepping stones. We still haven't managed to sell a player for cash and are £235k overdrawn at the bank, but we are regularly producing good players via the Academy so it's just a matter of sticking with it and taking it step by step. 

[Jimbokav1971]

(30a) James (DMA) * makes his Premier League debut. Jan 2032.

Hang on, he had made International appearances for Dominica and now he's showing as English. I don't understand it. 

[Jimbokav1971]

We're still good at some things though. Mar 2032. 

There might still be 6 league games left to play, but we are still setting records all the same.

[Thebaker]

has james apps  for Dominica all been friendlies and he has now been picked for england u19 or u21's

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, Thebaker said:

has james apps  for Dominica all been friendlies and he has now been picked for england u19 or u21's

He definitely hasn't played for ENG U19's or U21's.

It seems unlikely that he has made 10 friendly appearances and no competitive ones, but that is actually the case, (because I have just checked). It's a real shame. I was hoping he was going to get loads of Caps. 

[Thebaker]

4 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

He definitely hasn't played for ENG U19's or U21's.

It seems unlikely that he has made 10 friendly appearances and no competitive ones, but that is actually the case, (because I have just checked). It's a real shame. I was hoping he was going to get loads of Caps. 

if he doesn't play for england he may yet return to dominica i suppose

[Jimbokav1971]

14 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2031. 

 

Youth Intake day. Mar 2032.

Squad by PPA. 

Nations already represented in previous Youth Intakes. 

New Nations represented in this intake.    Because I've played in Gibraltar I'm really pleased to get 1 through the intake. Next on the list is probably San Marino. I'm surprised that we haven't had any Polish or French though. 

(32a) Fredrik Jensen (NOR).

He's top ranked by PPA, but I'm not overly keen on him. 

(32f) Danny Nash (WAL).

This bloke looks really good and will be in contention for a starting spot straight away.

(32e) Big Craig (F.Det) 6'6".

This bloke is a little unusual, (rangy striker), but those who have followed by others saves will know that I like to use "Big" players for effect at set-pieces if nothing else. This player looks to have the physical attributes to cause the opposition problems, although both his stamina and strength are a problem, there is certainly enough raw ability there to work with. I think he will immediately become our "bench striker"

[Jimbokav1971]

36 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

if he doesn't play for england he may yet return to dominica i suppose

Yep. Fingers crossed, and I hope he doesn;t lose too much time between now and then. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Progress. Mar 2032. 

I mentioned in a previous conversation with @deez0rthat this save is all about small and gradual improvements and there is another one to report. 

In the past, when we have offered players a Youth contract, it's been a non-contract youth contract, (if that makes sense), in that they are already expired as soon as they are signed. Now though it's different because we can offer P/T contracts  and a Youth contract offered now lasts for 2 years. Players on a youth contract can still be poached, but now we are paid compensation, (I think). 

[deez0r]

2 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

No, it's certainly not a slog at all.

I don't think I have some sort of right to just romp through the leagues. Considering that I'm playing a Youth Only save, I think it's remarkable that we've already made this progress. 

It was relatively easy now, but having to muck about with contract negotiations now is a pain when you can only offer a 1 year contract, but all these little progressions are stepping stones. We still haven't managed to sell a player for cash and are £235k overdrawn at the bank, but we are regularly producing good players via the Academy so it's just a matter of sticking with it and taking it step by step. 

It definitely is great progress! The quality coming through my youth has been dreadful!

[deez0r]

43 minutes ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Progress. Mar 2032. 

I mentioned in a previous conversation with @deez0rthat this save is all about small and gradual improvements and there is another one to report. 

In the past, when we have offered players a Youth contract, it's been a non-contract youth contract, (if that makes sense), in that they are already expired as soon as they are signed. Now though it's different because we can offer P/T contracts  and a Youth contract offered now lasts for 2 years. Players on a youth contract can still be poached, but now we are paid compensation, (I think). 

This could definitely be a big positive in terms of ££££

[Jimbokav1971]

1 minute ago, deez0r said:

This could definitely be a big positive in terms of ££££

Yeah, I'm hoping so. Obviously I don't want to count my chickens until we start getting paid, but it certainly looks like it's just a matter of time. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Season Summary. Apr 2032. 

Conference North. It was the toughest season of the save so far, but by virtue of being the highest scorers in the league, we avoided relegation with 1 game to spare. 

Final League Table. 

FA Cup. I don't care about the Cups. This season was all about staying up. 

FA Trophy. 

Goal-scoring keepers. It was a tough season for our keepers. 3 penalties from 4 attempts and a free-kick gives (29l) David Hunter (NIR) 4 goals and 5 assists for the season. The more important stat however is that he managed just a single clean sheet. 

Overall Best XI.

Awards.

Squad by Appearances. 

Discipline. We received at least 6 cards in a single game in 4 different matches. I wear this fine as a badge of honour with pride. 

Finances. 

Facilities. I've only just noticed but we have been playing at Latimer Park, Kettering, where Kettering Town and Burton Park play. I'm not sure when we started playing there. I've just checked and we were playing at Irchester Sports Association last season, (capacity only 1,000), and I'm guessing that the Conference, (or National leagues as they are called now), have a higher minimum requirement than that. 

Transfers. 

Tracker. I think I've worked out why the Estimated value of the club is going down. It's because we are going further and further into debt. We are valued at £48,120 and we owe £268,214, so the real value of the club is £316,334.

Records. 

 

[Jimbokav1971]

International recognition. Aug 2032. 

[Jimbokav1971]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Losing streak. Oct 2032. 

Despite dropping into the relegation zone, it's not as if we're not trying though. We received 8 yellows against Matlock, and 5 against Nuneaton and Guiseley, as well as a red card against Scarborough. 

Edited July 15, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

Discipline. Oct 2032. 

It's only October and we have already been fined on 4 occasions for failure to control our players. 

[Jimbokav1971]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2032. 

What positions do I most want? 

Centre-half, left-back, centre-mid and winger. 

What I really need is CA over PA. 

[Jimbokav1971]

 

[Jimbokav1971]

If only we could defend. Jan 2033. 

We have just scored 6 goals, (7 if you count the OG), and we still didn't win. 

On the plus side, I rotated all 10 outfield players so we have some depth. 

[Jimbokav1971]

Discipline. Jan 2033. 

6 more yellows and a red against Needham Market mean it's fine-time again. 

[Jimbokav1971]

15 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

Youth Intake preview. Dec 2032. 

What positions do I most want? 

Centre-half, left-back, centre-mid and winger. 

What I really need is CA over PA. 

Youth Intake day. Mar 2033. 

Squad by PPA. I haven't offered youth contracts to either (33k) or (33p) and I didn't really want to offer one to (33i), but I bottled it in the end and decided that 4.0 was too much to discard. It's pretty easy to see that the reason for this is largely Det based, but also Amb based. 

Nations already represented in previous Youth Intakes. 

New Nations represented in this intake. None. 

(33b) Dean Cooke (Pro). looks like he could be good. 5.0 PA, Pro personality and his attribute balance looks decent for a centre-half. He will be in contention for a starting spot straight away. 

(33d) Jim Hanna (NIR) (F.Pro). looks decent already, but we have a few options already at right wing and of course you can only play 1 right winger at a time. I'm thinking I might squeeze him into the middle of the pitch just to get him some game-time because I think he's capable. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[nie jem frytek]

7 hours ago, Jimbokav1971 said:

New Nations represented in this intake. 

Sorry to make your intake worse, but you already had Gambian player, (27f)

[Jimbokav1971]

9 minutes ago, nie jem frytek said:

Sorry to make your intake worse, but you already had Gambian player, (27f)

Paying attention as ever. Thank you. 

[Thebaker]

I'm surprised with a youth challenge you don't sign them all up especially as you know how the PPA can be wrong. I thought (33i) slightly higher ability and 18 for agg might have swayed you to sign him.

[Jimbokav1971]

32 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

I'm surprised with a youth challenge you don't sign them all up especially as you know how the PPA can be wrong. I thought (33i) slightly higher ability and 18 for agg might have swayed you to sign him.

You're completely right, and I have done up to this point, however.......

Our training facilities are really poor, so as a result, training is slower. 

We are approx £430k overdrawn.

We are overspending in terms of wages by £57 pw. 

Thanks for bringing this up @ThebakerI should have posted my thinking behind this last night but it was late and I was tired. 

• The financial situation at the club is serious, and it doesn't seem like getting better anytime soon. With that in mind I need to start looking after the pennies. That being said. With a wage budget of £3,667 pw, how much is 2 more players on £5 pw contracts going to matter? The answer is of course, not very much. 
• The number of players training at the club is of more significance to me. We have 86 players at the club and they are on 1 of 3 different contract types. 

Part-Time. 17 players.

Non-contract. 38 players. 

Youth contract. 31 players.

If we then look at the staff we have to train these players, then this is what we've got. 

I think it's fair to say that 87 players at a big club might not be a huge deal, but 87 players at a club this size with these facilities is stretching things more than a little. 

My concern is that the players we are developing and investing playing time in, are not getting as much attention as they might do had we have fewer players on the books. 

Obviously I would much rather just "cull" rubbish players, and you only really need a couple of players in each position, but I've twice had my best 2 players in the same position poached at the same time, which means immediately that we are down to our 3rd choice and 4th choice when I rotate even when we don't think about the bench. I am being forced to keep players in the U23's as back-up, despite the fact that I think they aren't going to improve, because if our best players need then i will need them and according to last seasons performance, it's a fine line between staying up and relegation at the moment, (or 1st and 2nd as previous seasons go). 

I have mentioned before that I particularly don't like casual and slack players. To such an extent that I am considering not signing them even if they come through as a good player. (I'm not sure I can stick to that). What I mean is that i have had a number of casual players come through this Academy, (and elsewhere), and it is just not possible to change them with the players we have available. I've spent so much time on them, that I am suck of seeing them fail to develop and eventually just leave on a free that I'm on the verge of giving up. 

Instead, what I'm doing is culling players, yes based on CA and PA stars, but also on personality and in particular Det levels. 

This is what my "nasty DNA" looks like right now and it's all players ranked by CA. 

Looking at the 1st column, (Det) and working downwards. 

4 Low Det is a 1st team right winger (31f) who has made 58 appearances over the last couple of seasons, so while I want to get rid of him, I can't until I have someone better available, but his days are numbered after this intake because (33d) is better than him. 

3 Unambitious is (33k) from this intake who I wasn't going to sign, and then I was, and then I wasn't again. I basically bottled releasing him, but now I see him there with his low Det and low Amb I wish I had culled him immediately. Do you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to keep him, use the editor to find out his CA and PA right now, and then I'm going to track his development with CA and PA as we go, until such time as I have had enough and I bin him off in a fit of rage. 

3 Low Det is (32a) who obviously came through top of the PPA pile. I need to try and get his Det up to see if I can improve him. I think he's definitely worth keeping.

5 Low Det is (31d) who is a MC that I really like. He's already made 29 appearances despite still being a teenager, but I need to get his Det up so that he continues to improve. 

4 Unambitious is (33i) who is a (GAM) striker that looks decent. The problem though is that like (33k), I know that not only does he have rubbish Det, but he also has Rubbish Pro. Players who are Low Det on this list might have good Amb, but players who are Unambitious have both low Det AND low Amb, and with our rubbish facilities and coaches, I think I need to concentrate on what I can improve. There is no point some of these players coming through with a PA of 150 if I can't even develop them 10 points from where they start!

3 Low Det is (32k) who is an (ESP) right midfielder. 

3 Low Det is (32h)

3 Unambitious is (32n)

4 Low Det is (33p) who is still on a trial contract because I haven't offered him a youth contract, (and am not going to). 

As I'm writing this, part of me immediately wants to go and cull the Unamb players on the list, (33k) (33i) and (32n) because I think that having 2 bad scores out of b3 key areas is too much for me to overcome, but part of me is thinking they might have an outside event or someone might come in and buy them and then improve them for a couple of years before I buy them back again.

You are completely right that I don't want to release any players initially, but in this particular instance I feel I have to start making some tough choices. 

Let's have a look at (33k) and I will also look at his hidden attributes, (but only his).

His attribute balance looks decent and he will fit into my MCR spot. He's a little lacking in physicality, but he's not awful. His PA is 4.0 and that could be decent.
I would rather he was a righty than a lefty, and I hate his personality, but other than that I've got to admit that I quite like him. 
Now lets look at his hidden attributes and why he is Unambitious. 

Let's go from top to bottom. 
CA is 44 but I'm not really sure what that means because I have nothing to gauge it against. 
PA is 52 though so there isn't really much room for development. 
Amb is 4 and we knew that was low because of his personality. 
Pro is 12 which is decent. 
Det is 3 and we already knew that. 

So this is the key bit for me. 

It doesn't really matter what his PA is, because that's not what this is about. Just for the sake of this experiment I'm going to try and improve his CA from 44 as much as I can and I will report back on the 1st of each month with an update. 

Meet our new test subject. 

I have to do this properly though so how am I going to train him?

If he makes the senior team based on my normal selection process then he will play. If he doesn't then he will remain in the U19's/U23's.

Today is 1st April. See you in 1 month. 

[Edit]

Apologies, I'm still in the middle of this post. I posted in error too early. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Jimbokav1971]

1 hour ago, Thebaker said:

I'm surprised with a youth challenge you don't sign them all up especially as you know how the PPA can be wrong. I thought (33i) slightly higher ability and 18 for agg might have swayed you to sign him.

I've given it a more full response now. 

With these facilities it's not so much what his PA is, but what I can get his CA to.

Edited July 16, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Thebaker]

Unambitious doesn't indicate low det but in my experience they very often are low, they have less than 18 (ie become driven), i have a player with 16 det and unambitious in my current save.  I didn't notice the unambitious personality of 33k

Just low det  or ambition could be changed by a good squad or an off-field event by the end of their youth contract  so maybe worth persisting with .

Are the cost of youth contracts not covered by grants so the cost to you is not much?

[Jimbokav1971]

41 minutes ago, Thebaker said:

Unambitious doesn't indicate low det but in my experience they very often are low, they have less than 18 (ie become driven), i have a player with 16 det and unambitious in my current save.  I didn't notice the unambitious personality of 33k

Just low det  or ambition could be changed by a good squad or an off-field event by the end of their youth contract  so maybe worth persisting with .

Are the cost of youth contracts not covered by grants so the cost to you is not much?

It's not Unambitious that are the issue. What is the issue is Unambitious players who also have low Det. 

I have 11 players at the club who have an Unamb personality. It's not this that is the issue, but this twinned with Low Det, (of which I have 3). When you consider that we know that these 3 players have Low Amb AND Low Det, but that Pro remains unknown, then it makes them very unattractive players to invest in. 

There is more to it than that though, although it is far more tenuous. 

If we agree that we are looking at players (33n) (33i) and (33k) and looking for a reason to keep them, (because I have highlighted that they are not what I want in terms of Amb & Det, what do we have? 

Let's just imagine that we don't know the CA and Pa of player (33k)

(33i) Low Det and Low Amb. 1.0 CA. 4.5 PA. 
(33k) Low Det and Low Amb. 1.5 CA. 4.5 PA.
(33n) Low Det and Low Amb. 1.5 CA. 3.0 PA. 

I would say that looking at the above, (33i) and (33k) are sort of asking that should be kept, but (33n) is looking like he is living dangerously because he has a lower PA. That being said, we know that these ratings are nor very reliable on Day 1, so we want to give him and us more time to make a more informed decision, unless of course there is more info for us to go on. 

What else is there available for (33n)? 

Is training well and that MIGHT suggest decent Pro levels. 
Is in the Secondary Group in the changing room rather than the Core Group. Can we learn anything from that? 

It's been a while since I have looked at these screens so I'm making this up as I go. 

Core Social Group. "generally fairly professional". 
Secondary Social Group A. "generally balanced"
Secondary Social Group B. "generally balanced"

I can't tell whether he fits into Secondary Social Group A or Secondary Social Group B, but either way it's one of these rather than the Core Social Group, and the main difference here seems to be that the Core Social Group is more professional. That suggests that his Pro levels are not brilliant, (and remember that we already know that both his Det and Amb levels are low. 

I still think there is not a definitive answer here, but rather than it being about money, (it is a little about money), but it's more about the resources available and maximizing them where they are best used. If I have 

Here is the Hierarchy tree. 

I don't have a lot to go on, but I do have something. 

Team leader. 

(27i) Steph Lewis (WAL) (NIR) has 12 Det, (not to be sniffed at), but is in a Secondary Group so likely that his Pro isn't great. 

Highly Influential. 

(25j) Jack Williams doesn't have good Det (8) and is also in a Secondary Group so likely again that Pro isn't great. Added to that, he is both inconsistent and doesn't enjoy big matches. It's ALL hidden attributes that can be mentored, not just the ones we want.

(25m) Luke Bennett (F.Pro) also has decent Det (11) and is in the Core Group which fits with what we know about his personality. He relishes big matches but is inconsistent.

(26b) Leiweke (USA) has reasonable Det (10) and is another in a Secondary Group, (lower Pro), and is inconsistent. 

What I'm getting at is that I don't really have a lot of great options to mentor players, and when I have done so, it hasn't been very successful so far. 

In an ideal World I would keep everyone and tutor/mentor everyone, but we don't have competitive fixtures at U19 or U23 level, we don't have very good coaches, or very many of them, (so the groups are huge), and we also have appalling facilities. 

In short it's a perfect storm for players to NOT DEVELOP. 

By looking for reasons to cull players, (actually I'm looking for reasons to keep players while looking down the list of players I might want to cull), I'm hopefully allowing those players that remain a better pathway to the 1st team. With 16 players coming through each season, even playing for the U19's is not a given for some players. 

Edited July 16, 2020 by Jimbokav1971

[Thebaker]

don't forget media handling style can give some more clues about their personality esp professionalism and pressure. Hierarchy and social groups i thought only showed  time at club and squad status but it could be more.

Have you thought about changing your youth coaches and HOY, get ones in with positive personalities. Resolute is always a good one