RDF Tactics

so the opposite to the late bloomers. 'Burst onto the scene' youngsters

For me, Ajax specifically making signings isn't an issue and shouldn't really break immersion - especially looking at their recent recruitment IRL. I'm sure they've spent over 100million Euros this season and 113million last year. (Signing Calvin Bassey for 20mil from Rangers). The big issue is, IMO, them not using their youth system, at all. Pushing their younger players who are talented into their Jong team. And them creating no pathway for their youth players with their squad building not prioritising the youth system as it should.

And it's not just Ajax doing this. PSV as well. PSV B has 54 players. PSV's first team have 0 players under the age of 23. Within these B/Jong clubs, they are many players who don't get to play football at all! Jong PSV have 18 players who haven't touched grass yet. Top clubs, with high youth importance and have 'develop youth' as a club culture, can't develop their own. With no youth players in the first team, am I right in also saying they're not even setting up mentoring groups? At least with the younger players as they would have to be in the first team for that. A manager like Frank de Boer (Ajax current manager in my game) has 'use young players in low priority cups' but Ajax don't have any. Just Dutch and UCL which aren't low priority to Ajax. My last screenshot, you can see Ajax team in their first round of the Dutch Cup. Played their strongest possible team just 3 days after a league game and 2 days before another league game. After the cup game, it's left a star player and an important player in need of a rest while having so many players in those positions fit (but not match fit as they can't get a game).

As you say, players like Endrick and Arder Guler will develop because of their decent starting CA, extremely high PA mixed with high rep. You mentioned smart loans. My typical experience - finding a talented young player at Man Utd, for example, available on loan. Spends a season with us, develops nicely and gets high avg rating. Try to loan back but get told he's now part of the first team plans. As the season goes on, he doesn't play and back on the loan list. I try and loan again but I get told they want the player in a different environment. As no other teams want the player, he's now stuck on the loan list, not playing games. I like the fact you can't rinse and repeat loan deals but situation like this doesn't make sense to want the player in a different environment when there's no other interest. They think it's better for the player to not play over loaning back to the same team where he can develop and get closer to his PA. I'm currently Sparta Rotterdam - Ajax in my save have failed to develop or look to develop a single player. Hato plays as he starts as one of the better players anyway. But a team like Ajax should be given youngsters opportunities. Their average age in my game is quite high which isn't a major problem. But, their squad building is very telling in which direction they're going and it's not to develop youth which should be Ajax's focus (and is their in-game culture). They have 3 players 30 or over in their first-team squad. Not a single player under 20. Most being between the ages of 25 and 29. Jong Ajax is stacked with players who are too old for u18s and didn't make it to the first team. Currently 57 players in Jong Ajax and seeing some of the names in their squad is a shame to see. A lot of wasted talent when Ajax could've easily used some rather than playing players who are in need of a rest because they have higher PA/rep. Rayane Bounida, Ethan Butera, Benjamin Tahirovic, Silvano Vos. Avery Appiah, Mika Godts, Tommy Setford, Kian Fitz-Jim, Julian Rijkhoff.... My feedback would be that AI squad building is still far off from being at a decent balance (not just based on this example). Improvements were made but really that's the minimum expectation.

Agreed. Composure is the biggest attribute for me for pen taking. Also players body language (I like to say mental state). noticed as well, if my striker misses a big chance or two, his body language can then be nervous. theres a few things it could be. Consistency (ability to perform the 19 attribute often), and pressure hidden attribute. Not saying for sure, but this all could also be playing a role

It's one reason why I've stopped reporting things now. It's clear something weird happens with scheduling. After sending so many examples of teams having the same fixture list and the frequency of teams playing each other back-to-back - I get told basically nothing is wrong there. I stream. It takes me, literally, 2mins to show my viewers the schedules from leagues all around the world and how often it happens. I even sent them (SI) a screen recording of me opening FM, and starting a new save, look at Everton and Brentford fixtures and see they have the same fixture list. Little effort to reproduce it but somehow, hard for them to see an issue. Got to show some care in this area after so many years.

I mean, you’re on to something. Go into the first legs letting them think they’ve won the tie. Get them tired (injured haha) and roll over them in the 2nd legs

After the scheduling talks in here, it's like the game is doing it on purpose to wind me up now loool Flamengo and us may as well set up a mini league haha

Was my point a couple weeks back. That sort of stuff has made me uninterested in even trying to communicate anymore. When I mean communicate, talking about using my time giving feedback, reporting stuff etc. I've wasted hours (no exaggeration) over the months and it could've been avoided. From my part, lesson learnt. Not worth the hassle. That's not an attempt to discourage others from reporting bugs and stuff, by the way. Just for me, my experience, this year told me a lot of things about how things work with them.

I get similar when playing against Everton. They often play youth players Mackenzie Hunt or Halid Djankpata despite having way better players on the bench and just not selected. Those players were not injured either. Only saw this after the recent update. Maybe they tweaked something with AI squad management - for Everton though, surely they'd play their better players while in a relegation battle and on minus points Dyche doesn't strike me as someone who relies on youth (players from the u23 squad) in difficult moments too.

Great conversation. Feels like I've learned something to take on board next time I log things or "rant". Some things make a little more sense like player interaction, AI squad building, transfers imbalances

Actually, maybe a stretch but I wonder if that’s useful for SI. You don’t see it in FM21 and I first reported it in FM22. and also not the last few editions as I suggested. Maybe just first noticeable from FM22

I see and think similar. Admittedly, I thought me mentioning that would come across a bit conspiracy theory'ish You do the same 10 teams having to facing the higher rep teams in the screenshots. But I just haven't looked at it as far as seeing if there is a mixture (like Arsenal - Brentford - Sheff Utd - Man City) pattern that appears.

There's always some expectation for that to happen. As I noted in the Serie A, it happening with Napoli and Atalanta. 10 teams having the same set of 4 fixtures back-to-back is a bit different, though. Like I was asked to point out to show examples of this not happening, there's no example of this happening in the EPL. So something, IMO, is off balance there - which is what I'm pointing out. Then to add you draw a team in the cup leading for you to have the same team back-to-back. Now, a lot of cup draws are out of a hat. But often, you get this coincidence. This is just a simple statement. This is how EPL say they get their fixtures. In FM, because up to 10 teams can have the same set of fixtures, it doesn't seem right. Or "random". It feels more calculated. Upon replying to this comment. I started a new save. Looked at fixtures and look at this. In no snarky way or anything, does this seem right? Notice the team's fixtures I'm looking at here. Everton, Fulham, Bournemouth...these are the exact same teams I screenshotted earlier. In a totally different save. They have Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham and Man UFC back-toback and in the exact same order. Given the want for files etc, I don't think it was the intention of SI for this to happen either.