DMVian

I just went through a transfer window where I went with a cheaper 26 year old winger over a promising 20 year old in my price range because I felt the younger winger wouldn't be useful this season and if I got promoted, they would probably be multiple seasons away. I cursed the youth development system before realizing that was the realistic decision. No chance in real life a promotion contender decides to bleed in a 20 year old fringe player with potential.

For me it is a realism factor. If I'm playing with Feyenoord and Hull City knocks on my door for my 21 year old striker I carefully mined of Serbia a year before and that young Serb wants to go, Hull City can shove right off and the young player needs to get over it. When Everton calls for that striker and he wants to go, I shake his hand, take the money, and see if my underpaid scout who I've forced to live various Eastern European nations has found any more gold. My big sliding scale is influence. If one of my influential players is showing signs of unhappiness, I send him out of town first opportunity. Young players get fined and warned until morale/determination improves.

This is a really good point. Playing youth isn't an automatic future of success. Plenty of budget strapped clubs rely on youth revolutions and it just turns out some players can't hack it. Every club in the world would rather have a young, cheap squad, but sometimes you have to go with proven players. Going young often results in crashing out. I feel like mentoring has been nerfed a bit, but I still get occasional emails about players picking up good traits. Less than before, but some. That seems more realistic.

Popping back in to say I really appreciate the new scouting system. Little bit of a slow start but now I am getting so many results with low salary scouts I've had to tighten my guidelines. The recruiting focus versus individual scout instructions was confusing early but once I figured it out, it works much better. I don't at all understand the "assign an analyst" part, but that hasn't seemed to hamper things. Picked a club with a Board and Supporters demanding high press, attacking football. My next save/job will certainly be a club where it isn't required. I really enjoy mid and low block play and want to do more of that. Probably just my imagination, but I actually like the idea in this game you could add in a bunch of tall, strong defenders and really dominate games lower league physically and aim for a 1-0 win. In FM22, I don't know if low block was broken or high pressing was so overpowered, but I didn't feel comfortable playing defensive football even with a lead. Will the late patch on player development affect current saves? I started my current one like a day after it posted. I am not worried about database improvements, but it looks like the devs cleaned up some serious player development issues.

I really, really like whatever changes they made to fix low block defending. Last game, sitting back felt like a guaranteed L. Now, sitting back and waiting for counter opportunities fees like it really works. I do agree the game feels harder. And maybe it is just because teams can bunker down themselves and it isn’t as simple as turning up tempo and mentality to beat them.

I just posted in the "How do I...." thread something similar. I'm unsure what's going on with reserve teams. A bit of checking shows FM now has Crawley and Hearts as having reserve teams, which is right since both formed them. No matches for Hearts, which isn't right. And then in Belgium clubs that used to have U21s now have no junior teams but U18. Wondering if that is something that will be updated or just searching wrong.

How do I run a U21 team in Belgium? I just pulled FM22 and the big clubs have U21's. In FM23, I started a Genk save and there is no reserve, just a U18. According to Genk website, they still have "Jong" side https://www.krcgenk.be/nl/kalender/wedstrijdkalender/B/all/all/upcoming

I'm sending multiple scouts down south. Let's say my League 1 scout watches Portsmouth play Ipswich and then another scout in the future sees Portsmouth in FA Cup. Do I get two games worth of data on a player like Ronan Curtis? Or is it only helpful if the same scout see multiple matches? I'm doing a Scottish save meaning work permits are my enemy. This is for FM22, but I'll be moving to FM23 soon.

Haven't gotten so far that I wouldn't mind starting over a save. Just not sure if I'm giving up funds. If that money is somewhere else, like the balance, then who cares. Just don't want to be starting at a loss.

I did. I have done a bit more digging and it looks like that is where I messed up. Is my club in an equal financial place? Or should I restart my save? I am at a midlevel European league. Transfer budget is only ~1.5 mil Euros. But don't want to be handicapped by disabling first windows.

I'm really confused why my transfer budget is zero? And it is like that for every team? Is that related to database?

I get a Man City career player being put off by this. On the other hand, if I am leading a mid-level club in Scotland or somewhere in the Balkans and I call up a 16 year old who's been tearing up the youth leagues in the suburbs of Lisbon or Cordoba, it makes some sense that young kid may hang up the phone right away.

I don't think there is a "correct" answer, just as there isn't a "correct" answer in real life. My rule is if they're age appropriate for U18/U19, I keep them there. If I have a reserve team, it depends on performance. If they're dominating on my reserve team and I don't have a slot to move them up into 1st team consistently, I try to loan. Or if I'm overloaded at a slot, I loan out. Also a case-by-case. If I try to move someone but only lowly clubs want them, I keep them around. If I think a player is developing but then a solid club in my tier or tier below with good facilities proactively offers to take them on loan with strong playing time promised, then they're gone.

That's really good! My first FM23 save will be an MLS save and I want to be a long term save. Looking forward to it even more now that it looks like MLS has been tightened up a bit.

Where did you see that?

Good info on transfer budget. On competition, Is my scout taking in a leisurely Annan-East Fife game not taking away time he could be scouting a game at Aberdeen finding some overpowered players? Or would judgement have them stick mostly to games with players my level? I know there is no perfect answer.

Will you explain this? I always kept it automatic. Should I be adding what I'm willing to spend? My current budget? What? Additionally, if I'm an English Championship club scouting Scotland, I don't want to have my scout checking out League 1 games when top flight is the players I need. But I also want my scout to check out Scottish Cup and the National Team. Would assigning my scout the country [i]and[/i] cinch Premiership help? He'll stick to mostly top flight but also do some national team and cup competitions? Or is this too complicated for the system? This question would probably go for any nation, including Germany, with multiple flights loaded.

FM22 is my first edition. I'll be buying FM23. I'd like better graphics. It's just lowest item for me. I would prefer them grinding out AI improvements and slowly cleaning up league rules issues. Better experience in a game world where rules ranging from MLS to the UK to Australia must coexist. I'd prefer to have a reliable path to set up a functioning U23 for a EFL League 1 club than I would better massively improved graphics. And I like thinking I don't need an advanced computer. I'm just old fashioned. My favorite Total War game is Total War: Shogun 2. I'd have been happy if every year they just kept refining that an improving that slightly versus building out new games that would blow up my new, middle-of-the-road computer. I expect I'm in the minority.

5-2-3 counter attack with your lines Low/Low and GK instructed to distribute over the opposition defense. Sometimes you get the 4-0 loss. Occasionally you get a couple lucky breaks and win 2-1.

When people do youth only saves, I wonder if they're somehow developing players rather quickly or they're finding youths under rocks in low rated league and then selling them for a bigger price in short order once reputation catches up. I'm having some luck signing players in weaker leagues around 24 or 25 who are underpriced for their ability, signing them, and then if they perform having their reputation earn bigger offers. Use windfall to sign a couple quality game changers. To FM's credit, more realistic approach than a Scottish club suddenly become a football factory. I know it isn't easy to find right balance. But I hope they push the balance a bit more toward youth developing in FM23.

This sounds like if you're starting with a top tier team with finances for scouts, you're good to skip on player knowledge? But if you're in lower levels with a couple scouts, you're best off investing in those points?

Other than the ability to praise/criticize, does it matter if a player is training well? I know it does in real life, but in the game? I know berating young players for poor training/results can increase determination.

I haven't gone as pure as you, but now 80% of my not-set piece sessions are now those three. Small sample size, but training performance has jumped really high. Too early to tell if it will help development.

Could player reputation be the reason? And then they get to the new club and real ability isn't up to snuff? First year of my Scotland save, I had two loanees from EPL have top seasons as I finished #3. One had an expiring and the other a cheap transfer. But they both demanded absurd salaries to stay. I had to let both walk. One didn't have his contract extended and signed with Middlesborough for big $$$, the other rode the bench and featured mostly in U23. Going into season 3, the one whose contract expired is still making too much money for Middlesborough, who has him transfer listed pretty low after a good season. The other was offloaded permanently back to Scotland, now making less than what I offered. If player reputation is the reason, then that is actually really realistic. Players and clubs overrate the players. Then reality hit. One club bought a guy who beat up Scotland then realized a huge overpay. The other player overrated his value on a permanent deal and then had a lost season and took a smaller number. I'm under 100 hours in, and I may be giving too much credit to the game. But your post and other examples in my game makes me think player reputation is a really underrated aspect in value.

With the slow, slow advancement of youth, I'm leaning toward just ignoring age on signings. Go get the better player if they're measurably cheaper. Win enough games, then the board shouldn't care. Drop $7 million on a 22 year old WB or 30% for a similar player at 27. Under a hundred hours in, but for now it looks like paying for potential is a fools errand.