FM2021 - U18s Manager not picking U18s players for U18s League games

[Tannyrank]

Hi, I've just brought in a new manager for my U18s and the U18s league has started, they've played the first 2 games of the U18s season and in both games the manager has only picked 1 or 2 of the players in the u18 squad for the game?? The rest of the team is being filled up with 'emergency' players - the kind that become available when you don't have enough eligible players.

I have 17 players in my U18 squad and they are selected in the match preview (when it asks you if you want to make any other players available) but the majority of them don't play in the actual match (1 or 2 do). The standard although not great, is better then the emergency players being drafted in. All players are either 16 or 17 so the correct age to play in the U18 league.

Scratching my head here. Help appreciated as this is completely ruining the immersion.

Playing FM2021 in the 2028/29 season Bath City in League One. Jon Stead is the U18s manager

[FrazT]

Have you checked the staff responsibilities and made sure that the manager is controlling the team?

[Tannyrank]

Yes I checked this. He is in control of team selection.

I think I've found the problem. My U23s have a friendly arranged each week and this is usually on sunday (U18s games are on Saturday). As I have very few players in U23 squad the U23 manager is calling up the U18s, making them unavailable for the U18 game the day before.

There is no way I can see to set the U18s to unavailable for the U23s. I can set them to available for the U18s and then they just get called up to the U23s again. Am I missing something? Is there a way to make them unavailable for U23s?

[Tannyrank]

4 hours ago, FrazT said:

Have you checked the staff responsibilities and made sure that the manager is controlling the team?

Please see above

[Tannyrank]

16 hours ago, Tannyrank said:

Yes I checked this. He is in control of team selection.

I think I've found the problem. My U23s have a friendly arranged each week and this is usually on sunday (U18s games are on Saturday). As I have very few players in U23 squad the U23 manager is calling up the U18s, making them unavailable for the U18 game the day before.

There is no way I can see to set the U18s to unavailable for the U23s. I can set them to available for the U18s and then they just get called up to the U23s again. Am I missing something? Is there a way to make them unavailable for U23s?

No this wasn't it either. I cancelled the U23 game and made all U18 players available for U18s and U18s manager fielded 5 of my players, the rest emergency players. Absolute joke.

[FrazT]

Try clearing out the cache and preferences folders

[Tannyrank]

On 16/01/2022 at 08:43, FrazT said:

Try clearing out the cache and preferences folders

No this didn't help either, he picked 7 from 17

[Tannyrank]

I've finally figured it out! For competitive fixtures he is only picking players with a certain level of match sharpness (I think it is the yellow up arrow - gaining sharpness - or greater). This is why in previous posts when I've mentioned the number he picked for a game, it's been creeping up a few each time (1 or 2, 5 and 7). Last game he picked 16!

I'd still prefer he picked the unfit players over the emergency players but whatever, at least i understand it now. I'll make sure to arrange loads of U18 friendlies pre season from now on to make sure he fields full team from opening game of the season.