Experimenting after Relegation: 2 scenarios with unhappy players

[phd_angel]

I was relegated from Premier down to Championship. Everybody is unhappy and many top players are complaining and want to leave fast. This is what I tested:

Scenario 1: I sold all unhappy players, and brought in 3 new players. Results: 5 loses in 5 games = 0 points.

Scenario 2: I kept all unhappy players I wanted despite protests and team leader meetings, and brought 1 new player. Results: 3 wins and 2 ties in 5 games = 11 points.

Learnings?: don't give in to pressure. Try to keep your players if they are good, even if they are temporarily complaining.

Makes sense?...

[toiletfootball]

Interesting experiment. I assume the replacements you brought in for scenario 1 were of a much lower standard? I agree with your conclusion. The trick in my experience is to always renew contracts of your good players so they have at least two years remaining. Then you can ignore the complaining:-). It helps when your manager rep and discipline is higher also.

[phd_angel]

8 hours ago, toiletfootball said:

Interesting experiment. I assume the replacements you brought in for scenario 1 were of a much lower standard? I agree with your conclusion. The trick in my experience is to always renew contracts of your good players so they have at least two years remaining. Then you can ignore the complaining:-). It helps when your manager rep and discipline is higher also.

The 3 new players in scenario 1 were much younger than the ones I sold. They all had high potential.

On contract renewals, I always include an "Optional Contract Extension" for 1 year, so I can manage expectations, bypass complaints, and have better overall squad planning.