Creating a Player

[Romanista1994]

Introduction

The are a good amount of guides about tactics and there are several about training, but none go into detail about the development of a single player from prospect to first teamer. The closest to this is the late SFraser's Meet the Striker, however it doesn't contain the steps that he took from the start of his youngster's career to develop him into the player he is today.

In this guide I will first introduce you to a youngster that my scouts happened to find in Denmark, then I will describe my plan for him and how I put that plan into action. At the end of the post you will see him in his current form following the development process that I put him through.

Meet the Youngster

Christian Erichsen joined my team in the summer of 2012 as a very talented but raw young striker:

Plenty of potential there, but at this stage he had several flaws that could hinder his development and stop him from becoming and effective threat for my team.

Strengths

Technical: He is a great finisher, with good heading ability and good delivery from all types of set pieces.

Mental: Great decision making, good vision, excellent movement off the ball and the willingness to work hard are his main mental strengths.

Physical: He is agile and able to keep his balance well. For a 16 year old he also has brilliant stamina.

Weaknesses

Technical: He will never be a great dribbler, his first touch lets him down and he his technique is average at best, as are his passing and distance shooting accuracy.

Mental: The biggest flaw in his game is his tendency to buckle under pressure. He is also slow to react to events around him and lacks the bravery and teamwork to really help the team.

Physical: He is slow off the mark and over distances and due to his height will never be an aerially dominant centerforward.

The Plan

The striker role in my tactic is one which requires the player to be able to finish off chances as well as having the ability to create for the three runners behind him. I want him to constantly look for space so that he can either get into a shooting position himself or lure a defender away creating space for the movement of other players. This role requires excellent awareness, good control, balance, precise and consistent finishing, playmaking excellence.

Erichsen is very good at most of these things for his age, but his weakness under pressure coupled with his inability to control any ball smoothly means that he will mostly miss the few chances that he gets in a match. He will also be late in noticing events that happen on the pitch, which means he won't, for example anticipate a run from deep by a winger. The tendency to miss chances will lower his ratings considerably, which is worrying because he won't be able to compensate by creating for others.

I will focus on training the areas he requires that are low, even if other attributes in the same category are already high. This makes him a more complete player, exactly what is required in my striker role.

Putting the Plan into Action

Choosing a Tutor

The available tutors at my club at the time of signing him were Totti and Borriello. While Totti is more similar to him, he was on the decline and would find his playing time limited. Additionally, Borriello has higher Determination and, as I found out from a previous tutoring job, fairly high Professionalism. My choice of Borriello was very good in hindsight as he went on to have a great season, which meant that Erichsen looked up to him more and as a consequence went on have the same determined personality as his tutor. Because their time together was so successful, Borriello has been the only tutor, otherwise I would continue to tutor him until he reached the best personality available.

I usually choose the tutor that is most similar in terms of playing style to the young player I want him to work with, but when it is clear that another has a better personality and will perfom better over the course of the tutoring timw I can make an exception.

Training Schedule

The role he has to play in the future doesn't require a great deal of pace, so while I could have trained him a lot physically I decide not to. Both sliders are left at the low end of medium to ensure that he continues to improve steadily in this area.

The areas of attacking and tactics both need their respective attributes to be high. Because Erichsen lacks in some of these areas he will be put on intensive training in both categories. Ball control is also kept high because he again has some flaws, but it stays below intensive because none of the attributes are as low as those in tectics and attacking.

I had first raised shooting to a very high level, but after I discovered that Composure is no longer in it I dropped it to medium.

The training schedule should ensure that he develops nicely in all the areas that are required for the role he will play in my team.

Training Focus

Some of his attributes required training quickly, otherwise they would affect his ratings. He underwent successive sessions of specific focus in the following attributes: composure, technique, first touch and passing.

First composure was raised to 11 so that he would stop missing chances. Then technique to 15 to ensure he performed actions successfully. First touch to 15 to give him more chances. Composure to 15 so that he took those extra chances. The last one was passing to 15 because I wanted him to be able to create for others as well as for himself.

Player Preferred Moves

When his composure and technique reached an acceptable level his finishing was already very high. I decided to have him train to 'Shoot with power', because he rarely misses the target and goalkeepers would struggle to hold a powerful, well-struck shot.

I am considering having him learn to shoot first time for the same reasons that SFraser gave, but I'll have to ponder it as my player has lower anticipation than his.

Meet the Striker

Fast forward to five seasons later:

In five seasons Christian Erichsen has gone from being a young striker with the world at his feet to becoming a fearsome forward who terrorises defences in Italy and in Europe. His last season has been his best yet as he scored thirty and created another sixteen goals. Half of those came after he learned the PPM 'Shoots with power'. He still has room for 1.5 stars of development and with a few seasons left before he reaches his peak he will continue to have a bigger role to play in my team with every season that passes.

I'm not sure how helpful this will be to people, but that is how I developed my striker from a talented youngster into a player who fits my team and tactics perfectly. The process is similar for my other youngsters: get them at a level where they are able perform decently in the first team by tutoring them and training their weaknesses and then get them playing and improving.

I hope you enjoyed the read.

[Cleon]

Nice thread

Shame about his pace though as you could have got that up to 16 at least just from individual focus.

Would have been great to track his progress each season to compare how he improved and started to play more.

Do you mind if I add some examples from my own game to the thread over the weekend? I like the idea of this thread and it has potential to develop even further

[ramie]

Great OP. As for the development of the player, you have done a great job. I have never been good a developing my young players, simply I'm lazy with that side of things. I tend to downloads training programs and these, I dont think they truely develop the player how I want them to develop.

But reading this I will give it a go However, I have tried and fail a few times with my training. For example, I upped the training level of catogries such as attacking, ball control to the max in hope to improve in these areas, but I noticed loads of red arrows in nearly all attribtutes. Why is that?

[Romanista1994]

Nice thread

Shame about his pace though as you could have got that up to 16 at least just from individual focus.

Would have been great to track his progress each season to compare how he improved and started to play more.

Do you mind if I add some examples from my own game to the thread over the weekend? I like the idea of this thread and it has potential to develop even further

I do have the screenshots of his development, just not all in one place . I could have raised his speed further, but his performances haven't suffered much from it as his great movement and good anticipation get him in threatening positions anyway.

I have no problem with you (or anyone else for that matter) posting screenshots and descriptions of how they developed players in their own saves, indeed I encourage it.

Great OP. As for the development of the player, you have done a great job. I have never been good a developing my young players, simply I'm lazy with that side of things. I tend to downloads training programs and these, I dont think they truely develop the player how I want them to develop.

But reading this I will give it a go However, I have tried and fail a few times with my training. For example, I upped the training level of catogries such as attacking, ball control to the max in hope to improve in these areas, but I noticed loads of red arrows in nearly all attribtutes. Why is that?

What age were these players when you raised those categories to the max? If they were youngsters they may have stalled due to lack of playing time. Older players probably have reached their peak and need to make space for improvements so their attributes drop and later those that are trained go up again. It could also be that they're adapting to the new schedule. Don't get discouraged if their attributes go down initially, training is a long term business.

If you have a screenshot it would be useful to identify the specific problems you are encountering.

[furiousuk]

Good work on starting this thread, it's a topic that I've thought about a lot but I've been surprised by a number of my youngsters recently so the really good ones I didn't have the screenshots to back up how they started!! (Note for FM13, save a new save-game at the beginning of each season to help track progress!)

Can you post up how many games, goals & rating (etc) from his last five seasons with you?

It'd be interesting and useful to hear about your philosophy for integrating this player from promising youngster into competitive/established first teamer.

[AcidBurn]

Nice thread, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on a couple of players.

Muniain I have been using him as an inside forward at AML or as a pacey striker either on his own or playing off a big targetman. Just wondering what sort of balance training you would advise to get the best out of him?

Galarreta This guy doesn't look that good but as Bilbao manager there is a lack of available players. He has 3 and a half star potential and a player with that much potential is needed even if they can only become a back up CM. Any ideas?

[ramie]

What age were these players when you raised those categories to the max? If they were youngsters they may have stalled due to lack of playing time. Older players probably have reached their peak and need to make space for improvements so their attributes drop and later those that are trained go up again. It could also be that they're adapting to the new schedule. Don't get discouraged if their attributes go down initially, training is a long term business.

If you have a screenshot it would be useful to identify the specific problems you are encountering.

I don't have a SS atm, but when I do I'll upload it. The player in question is Romario (18 year RB), He had about 20-30 games I believe. I think he may have been adapting as you said, but when I see them red arrows I panic and think the worst lol

But on flipside, I'm looking forward to seeing how this thread develops and hopefully learn more.

[Cleon]

Nice thread, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on a couple of players.

Muniain I have been using him as an inside forward at AML or as a pacey striker either on his own or playing off a big targetman. Just wondering what sort of balance training you would advise to get the best out of him?

Galarreta This guy doesn't look that good but as Bilbao manager there is a lack of available players. He has 3 and a half star potential and a player with that much potential is needed even if they can only become a back up CM. Any ideas?

I'd train Munian like I do Neymar;

And put individual focus on finishing.

[AcidBurn]

Thanks, just set it up.

I would like to see a guide on the training of older players and already established stars. I think only SFraser ever covered the training of veteran players.

[Pozzati]

Loving this thread. For me one of the most fun aspects of this game is to develope and shape young players that will become stars, but also who has a defining way of playing football with attributes that fit each other. I still remember how good Luke Freeman became in my game in FM10 even though his potential were average compared to the potential of his team-mates. That was just luck though

[Romanista1994]

Good work on starting this thread, it's a topic that I've thought about a lot but I've been surprised by a number of my youngsters recently so the really good ones I didn't have the screenshots to back up how they started!! (Note for FM13, save a new save-game at the beginning of each season to help track progress!)

Can you post up how many games, goals & rating (etc) from his last five seasons with you?

It'd be interesting and useful to hear about your philosophy for integrating this player from promising youngster into competitive/established first teamer.

I'll post his five seasons up with a description of how I progressively brought him into the team tomorrow since I'm on another computer now.

Nice thread, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on a couple of players.

Muniain I have been using him as an inside forward at AML or as a pacey striker either on his own or playing off a big targetman. Just wondering what sort of balance training you would advise to get the best out of him?

Galarreta This guy doesn't look that good but as Bilbao manager there is a lack of available players. He has 3 and a half star potential and a player with that much potential is needed even if they can only become a back up CM. Any ideas?

For Muniain I would create a very similar schedule to the one Cleon posted, perhaps a bit lower in Strength and higher in Ball Control and Tactics, but it's nuances.

Galarreta is more problematic, as it depends on what type of CM you want him to become. I think I'd go for something like a Lampard type who gets forward and shoots/passes. His main weakness in that role is his Off the Ball which needs improving for him to become a threat and get higher ratings from goals/assists. I'd put that as his individual focus initially.

In terms of training he would get something along the lines of medium for strength/aerobic, intensive for tactics, bottom of high for ball control and attacking and medium for shooting. If he plays with a partner who is good at defending you can drop that to zero otherwise leave it halfway through light so that he doesn't become a liability.

[AcidBurn]

Galaretta has been playing the odd game at CM with a DMC behind him and a CM alongside him who can do a bit of everything. Like I said I doubt he can become brilliant but I need some youngsters I can train up to be good back up players. Thanks for the advice dude.

[Romanista1994]

Thanks, just set it up.

I would like to see a guide on the training of older players and already established stars. I think only SFraser ever covered the training of veteran players.

For old players the individual training focus is a wonderful development. I stick them on heavy focus for Stamina from their early thirties (Agility for goalkeepers). This has worked very well with Matteo Brighi who still has 15 for stamina at 36. Unfortunately he will retire this season after having been a loyal long-term servant and fantastic tutor.

Once the players I have made individual schedules for are old enough to start declining, their schedule will contain medium levels of Strength training, no Aerobic at all and intensive focus on all the other areas in order to hasten the reshaping from physical to mental and technical, which will hopefully allow them to be useful at a high level for a few more years.

Loving this thread. For me one of the most fun aspects of this game is to develope and shape young players that will become stars, but also who has a defining way of playing football with attributes that fit each other. I still remember how good Luke Freeman became in my game in FM10 even though his potential were average compared to the potential of his team-mates. That was just luck though

I love developing youngsters, in FM10 my twin projects were always D'Alessandro and Crescenzi. I only managed to succesfully develop D'Alessandro once, and I abandoned that save soon after he became a Wonderkid.

[Braumiller]

I am going to be following this thread with great interest!!!

With new family and work commitments I only get 30-45 minutes to play FM12 at the end of the day these days, so gone are the days of playing huge, fast paced careers and replacing them are long, slow burning careers. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much, but I am enjoying it more so now. Already playing at a slow pace has meant I take more care in the finer details, and one area I want to start focusing on is individually tailored training schedules.

Could I ask a favor and get your opinion on how you would set up training for this little gem?

I have yet to buy him, but planning on it during my session later tonight

What training regime would you put him on and to turn him into what kind of FC or AMR? (Currently thinking Target Man Support or Attack, focusing on First Touch, Passing & Technique and everything else natural raises?).

Going to spend too long at work tomorrow mapping out my current youth team, I can sense it already

Alongside training, how soon do you guys usually introduce them into first team action?

Do you take a 'if they are good enough, they are old enough' approach or tend to let them play u18s or loan games are lower level teams?

[Coentrao]

Great idea for a thread, developing youngsters it's probably my favorite part of the game.

Braumiller i guess it depends on what you want him to be, to play on the wing you would probably need to focus on that pace and dribbling, though i'd say he would make a great support striker with that determination,bravery,team work and work rate.

So going that route i would focus on developing his first touch,passing and technique beside improving his physicals of course.

On the last question if they are good enough then they are old enough, loans can be useful with good facilities and if they get a lot of playing time though.

[5uare2]

Brilliant thread, well done on that player Developing youth has been something I'm still coming to terms with, and I'd love to learn more about it because I doubt I'd enjoy long-term saves if I wasn't developing youngsters.

One question romanista: how much game time was he getting? Could you provide a screenshot of his career stats history? (The one that shows how many apps he made per season, etc.). That would solve a lot of questions - did you send him out on loan, did he stay in the B team, how many first team appearances did he get, etc.?

[Cleon]

I posted these in the SI Sports thread but they went un noticed by most

-------------------------------

As you can see the player below would make a great targetman but I want to develop him to become more of a DLF who is good all round. I decided to tutor him with someone who had lower determination which I didn't mind as the overrall benefit was worth more than a few determination points imo.

So this is one of the prospects I had at 15 years old and his initial custom schedule;

One year later;

His determination dropped due to been tutored by someone with a lesser determination. But I still thought he’d benefit more overall from the tutor.

One year later;

[Cleon]

Another year later;

Another year later;

As you can see he is developing quite nice. I’ll be changing his schedule when he hits 22 to focus on different areas. I’ll go into details about them once I make those chances in just over a seasons time.

My best regens I don't allow to go on loan as I like to develop them and shape them over a few seasons like you can see in the screenshots. It allowed me to focus on his weaker attributes by using the individual focus. He started off playing the odd game once he turned 16 and then each year I tried to give him more than the previous season. Game time is vital for player development so for the long term of a player I go out of my way to ensure they play some part every season if I want them to reach their potential.

I actually have a few more screenshots of him that I'll add later. He's now 21 in my game and improved a lot more compared to the above screenshots.

[Cleon]

Another of my players and his schedule;

At 15;

At 17;

At 18;

[Cleon]

These are the only 2 player's I've kept. I have got some other's that I have had for 2 seasons and I'll post them in a season or so

From an early age I knew I wanted him to fit into the DLP role that I use in my tactics. So the schedule I posted at the start what he uses focuses on the areas I believe to be important for what I expect of him in my tactic. Now these schedules are only to use until the player hits 21/24 depending on how happy I am with the development. Once they hit somehwere between 21 and 24 I'll then create another schedule for them that focuses on other areas that he is week in and try and average out some of his lower attributes.

[Cleon]

When I get time over the weekend I'll add screenshots of them currently which is 2 years old than the screenshots. Plus I'll add their tutoring info up and show you who tutored them.

[TRC]

I've have 2 very good youngsters a AML and ST, problem is they both have 1 for bravery. Apart from that they are very good. One has determination of 18, the striker, and my only striker who could tutor him has determination of 12. So I'm not sure what to do?

[JoeBainborough]

That's some really fantastic progression on those young players Cleon. How do you go about it? Do you identify the areas that they are strongest and weakest and also note what attributes you would like to see them develop in terms of position and role, then just go from there?

[Cleon]

That's some really fantastic progression on those young players Cleon. How do you go about it? Do you identify the areas that they are strongest and weakest and also note what attributes you would like to see them develop in terms of position and role, then just go from there?

Pretty much yeah. I try and mould players into the role they'll play in my tactic and base the schedules on that. I keep track of the progression and check every 2-3 months to see how they are developing and I'm not afraid to alter the training sliders if I feel they're not working. But fortunatley I've not had to do that yet. I like to try and build on mentals from the earliest possible moment though. I know they develop over time as a player gets holder but the sooner I focus on them the longer the player will be able to play for imo. Plus the higher the mentals then the more he'll be able to cope with how I play. For me mentals are by far the most important attributes a player has.

[TRC]

Cleon any tips of how to develop my no bottle striker? He has it all, pace, finishing, composure, determination, but bravery of 1.

[Cleon]

Cleon any tips of how to develop my no bottle striker? He has it all, pace, finishing, composure, determination, but bravery of 1.

It shouldn't be a big problem in all honesty if the rest of his stats are good.

[TRC]

Cool, at what age should I give up on a player. One of my strikers is now 22, and hasn't developed much over 2 years, does still score at 0.6 per game ratio though.

[Cleon]

Cool, at what age should I give up on a player. One of my strikers is now 22, and hasn't developed much over 2 years, does still score at 0.6 per game ratio though.

If a player has stalled then I normally give them a little run in the first team to kick start them again. However at 22 id have given up around this time if he was still poor. I'm not saying that's what you should do, but that's how I deal with things.

[Agi_]

How do you pick the tutor for young promising players? Model professional, resolute and similar are no brainers, but you often dont have such a luxury in the team.

I believe professionalism is the most important attribute to develop first, because players with low professionalism complain about training and without hard training you go nowhere.

Determination and ambition start kicking in later, i think, when the player is ready to start a few games in first team.

Another issue: often the tutoring gets broken because the two have very different personalities; that means that the better the teacher the more difference there will be because most of new yougsters have balanced personalities. How do you manage that?

[Romanista1994]

Could I ask a favor and get your opinion on how you would set up training for this little gem?

I have yet to buy him, but planning on it during my session later tonight

What training regime would you put him on and to turn him into what kind of FC or AMR? (Currently thinking Target Man Support or Attack, focusing on First Touch, Passing & Technique and everything else natural raises?).

Going to spend too long at work tomorrow mapping out my current youth team, I can sense it already

Alongside training, how soon do you guys usually introduce them into first team action?

Do you take a 'if they are good enough, they are old enough' approach or tend to let them play u18s or loan games are lower level teams?

If you have a good crosser of the ball at leftwing he could do brilliantly as a right winger who gets near the far post to head it in. I have one with the same heading attribute and 5(!) for jumping and he got around 10 of his goals that way.

The training would be something along the lines of middle of light for strength (already at a great level which will only improve with age), the high end of medium for aerobic, intensive tactics training, high ball control and attacking, medium shooting and nothing for defending.

The individual focus would go towards his technique, followed by quickness (to enable him to get into heading positions before a defender) and when his pace and accelleration and pace are around 14/15 any other attribute from the focus list that you feel would help his game if it improves.

[Romanista1994]

I've have 2 very good youngsters a AML and ST, problem is they both have 1 for bravery. Apart from that they are very good. One has determination of 18, the striker, and my only striker who could tutor him has determination of 12. So I'm not sure what to do?

As Cleon already said, the bravery shouldn't be too much of a worry, and with a determination of 18 I certainly wouldn't tutor him with the other striker you have.

How do you pick the tutor for young promising players? Model professional, resolute and similar are no brainers, but you often dont have such a luxury in the team.

I believe professionalism is the most important attribute to develop first, because players with low professionalism complain about training and without hard training you go nowhere.

Determination and ambition start kicking in later, i think, when the player is ready to start a few games in first team.

Another issue: often the tutoring gets broken because the two have very different personalities; that means that the better the teacher the more difference there will be because most of new yougsters have balanced personalities. How do you manage that?

The first point you raise is excellent, like you I want them to be professional early on, which helps with everything from contracts to training. When they start playing a (initially small) role in the first team, I often look for the tutor with the highest determination, especially if their determination has stayed quite low.

To avoid personality clashes I have a few players who have good, but not brilliant personalities, who they have to be paired with before they can move to the elite tutors.

[Romanista1994]

For furiousuk and 5uare2, here's Erichsen's path to the first team:

              Games    Goals   Assists    Rating

[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-1.png"]Start[/url]
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-2.png"]Season 1[/url]        3(2)      0        0        6.20
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-3.png"]Season 2[/url]       10(19)     6        3        7.03
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-4.png"]Season 3[/url]       23(15)    12        5        7.02
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-5.png"]Season 4[/url]       29(14)    13        8        7.05
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-6.png"]Season 5[/url]       42(7)     30       16        7.34

I wasn't planning to play him in the first season, but an injury crisis forced my hand. The early playing time probably did give him a boost and the next season I gave him as many games as I could without affecting his ratings (for example subbing on after the 75th minute) and the team's performances negatively. Over the next three seasons he developed into the first choice player he is today with ever increasing appearances, starts, goals and assists.

I decided to keep him in the team instead of sending him on loan because I felt he would profit more from my man management than being played wrongly at a team with worse facilities.

In general, I keep the very best players at my club for tutoring and game time purposes.

The ones I send on loan are those that are good and need game time, but won't find it in my team and have good personalities which help them improve even on loan. They are only sent to clubs which guarantee them game time, whether that's feeder clubs with nobody as good in their position or other clubs that say the player will become a 'valuable member of the first team'.

The ones that can become something, but aren't there yet and need to improve their personality go into the youth team and are tutored until they have the personality to go on loan or the ability to integrate the first team.

[Cleon]

For furiousuk and 5uare2, here's Erichsen's path to the first team:

              Games    Goals   Assists    Rating

[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-1.png"]Start[/url]
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-2.png"]Season 1[/url]        3(2)      0        0        6.20
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-3.png"]Season 2[/url]       10(19)     6        3        7.03
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-4.png"]Season 3[/url]       23(15)    12        5        7.02
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-5.png"]Season 4[/url]       29(14)    13        8        7.05
[url="http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq258/RomanistaPerSempre_2008/ChristianErichsenOverview_Profile-6.png"]Season 5[/url]       42(7)     30       16        7.34

I wasn't planning to play him in the first season, but an injury crisis forced my hand. The early playing time probably did give him a boost and the next season I gave him as many games as I could without affecting his ratings (for example subbing on after the 75th minute) and the team's performances negatively. Over the next three seasons he developed into the first choice player he is today with ever increasing appearances, starts, goals and assists.

I decided to keep him in the team instead of sending him on loan because I felt he would profit more from my man management than being played wrongly at a team with worse facilities.

In general, I keep the very best players at my club for tutoring and game time purposes.

The ones I send on loan are those that are good and need game time, but won't find it in my team and have good personalities which help them improve even on loan. They are only sent to clubs which guarantee them game time, whether that's feeder clubs with nobody as good in their position or other clubs that say the player will become a 'valuable member of the first team'.

The ones that can become something, but aren't there yet and need to improve their personality go into the youth team and are tutored until they have the personality to go on loan or the ability to integrate the first team.

We are quite simliar to how we deal with the progression, especially in the first player example I posted. The 2nd player though my hand was also forced 2nd season due to international call ups and injuries and he kind of made the position his own at the age of 17. So I began keeping him as a rotation player. It's hard to drop someone when they are playing well despite their age imo.

[Romanista1994]

We are quite simliar to how we deal with the progression, especially in the first player example I posted. The 2nd player though my hand was also forced 2nd season due to international call ups and injuries and he kind of made the position his own at the age of 17. So I began keeping him as a rotation player. It's hard to drop someone when they are playing well despite their age imo.

Yeah, I noticed that Marcao had started off with an equal number of starts and sub appearances and then moved towards more starts as each season went by. I'm looking forward to seeing how he has come along in the last two years.

I also love it when youngsters do unexpectedly well in the first team, for example a youth player that came through in March has just scored two and created another as I gave him three sub appearances and a start at the end of the season when the league was wrapped up. I especially delighted by his goal in the Italian Cup final after he came on.

[Braumiller]

[quote name=Romanista1994;7623174

The training would be something along the lines of middle of light for strength (already at a great level which will only improve with age)' date=' the high end of medium for aerobic, intensive tactics training, high ball control and attacking, medium shooting and nothing for defending.

The individual focus would go towards his technique, followed by quickness (to enable him to get into heading positions before a defender) and when his pace and accelleration and pace are around 14/15 any other attribute from the focus list that you feel would help his game if it improves.[/quote]

Romanista1994, excellent assessment of his training needs, as the schedule I have just devised for him is almost identical to what you describe.

I'll walk through how I created my new individual training schedules a little further below, but I will post Corentin David's update and new training schedule first.

After a dream introduction (debut came as a sub for 32 minutes in FA Cup 4th round at home while winning 1-0. He scores after 52 seconds, although not with his first touch as he played a nice one-two in the build up. League debut was an uneventful 14 minute cameo sub appearance and then the next week a full league debut in which he scored 2 and set one up! in a 4-0 win.

Since then he has had 5 or 6 unspectacular games which were never going to live up to the hype. So my plan is to drop him down into my u18s for their 4 remaining games of the season, see what he does and then give him a few more senior appearances after that before the end of the season.

So currently he is back on a youth training schedule in the u18s, but will soon be back on his senior schedule.

Here is his senior training schedule.

On top of this I have his individual focus on composure currently, although it will alternate between that and technique & quickness.

My Training Schedule Design Process

I created a quick spreadsheet to detail all of the visible attributes and for me to assign a value based on my belief of whether that attribute needs raising (5 = absolutely and lots down to no value = it is good and natural raising will suffice).

I have then summed up the attribute scores for each of the training areas.

So the 'Strength' score is made up on the attribute scores for Work Rate, Jumping, Natural Fitness, Strength and Stamina (the 5 attributes which Strength training can modify).

The result is 7 scores which correspond to the 7 (outfield) training areas, which on a player by player basis you can use to determine which training areas should receive the greater emphasis.

I then set up the players training schedule to end up with an overall workload of one click below Heavy (the highest click on Medium).

Here is a screenshot of the 9 young guns in my team who I have currently generated individual training for.

(The eight attributes which are grayed out are attributes which are not directly affected by training).

I plan on checking in on these 9 every few months to make sure the training is going ok, and then reassessing their needs once every 6 months (coming out of pre-season training and around January time).

If anyone wants the spreadsheet, let me know and I can post it somewhere.

[Romanista1994]

You've taken a very dedicated approach with the spreadsheet, much more than I've been doing.

The drop in David's performances was most likely due to the opposition taking him much more seriously now that he'd become an actual threat. The idea to send him back to the youths is a good one, because it means other teams will forget just how dangerous he is and he could well repeat his start when he is brought into the team again. It can be difficult to find the right match to drop a young player in, but it is very rewarding when things click and the youngster becomes the standout performer.

[ramie]

How much does workload affect development? Is there bad to have it on heavy? (other than injuries)

[Romanista1994]

How much does workload affect development? Is there bad to have it on heavy? (other than injuries)

I try to avoid it as some players become unhappy with their training and I can't remember any of those improving during the time they weren't satisfied. Players who have better personalities will just get on with it and continue to improve.

The training for regular first teamers is also slightly lower workload than that for others as they will in play a lot of matches and any percentage point that their condition goes up between two games will be useful.

[ramie]

I see, maybe there is my down fall. I tend to create a training program which is very heavy and players become unhappy and then don't train well.

Also if i have, for example, Ball control and attacking on intensive, will this reduce gains in these area as if the intensity is shared, then surely it is really half as intense as it could/should be? (Sorry if that don't make any sense, cant seem to put what i mean in words lol)

[furiousuk]

Heavy workload can be fine if you have the right sort of player matched with very good staff & facilities. My youngsters have to play U18 & Reserve games and are usually on heavy workloads (some are 3/4 notches into heavy, so very close to intensive for workload!), if they don't make it through with plenty of green arrows then they'll get the boot. It really is a baptism of fire and if they make it through then I know they've got the potential and the personality to succeed without much micro-management. It's reliant upon an exceptional backroom staff though and if you didn't have this then I doubt heavy would be appropriate.

There is also the argument that heavy simply isn't necessary as it's the ratio of the sliders that is more important (i.e. their shape) than the overall intensity. I follow the same routine as Romanista in that my 1st teamer schedules are lower in intensity to reflect that their primary job is performance and not development.

Given that the workload is the same then having 2 categories on intensive isn't too much of a problem as the other categories must be lower than if 1 was on intensive. I get what you're saying about the half as intensive thing but the other categories must also be higher to give the same overall workload which means they have more chance of 'stealing' some potential as the player improves.

Romanista - Thanks for posting the player starts etc. It goes to confirm further that playing time is so so crucial for development. You've given him a good chance and managed carefully his starts and it's paid huge dividends (a striker that scores 30 a season with a 7.34 for just 1.2M -or less- with even better years ahead of him, outstanding work!).

[Falahk]

Nice thread, I was wondering if you could give me some advice on a couple of players.

Muniain I have been using him as an inside forward at AML or as a pacey striker either on his own or playing off a big targetman. Just wondering what sort of balance training you would advise to get the best out of him?

lots of playing time, defult forward training and individual focus on stamina (on averange at all time):

I love developing youngsters, in FM10 my twin projects were always D'Alessandro and Crescenzi. I only managed to succesfully develop D'Alessandro once, and I abandoned that save soon after he became a Wonderkid.

he is still my back up in the 2018/2019 pre season on my fm10 Roma save:

[Romanista1994]

Romanista - Thanks for posting the player starts etc. It goes to confirm further that playing time is so so crucial for development. You've given him a good chance and managed carefully his starts and it's paid huge dividends (a striker that scores 30 a season with a 7.34 for just 1.2M -or less- with even better years ahead of him, outstanding work!).

I don't know if it's a bug or anything, but in FM12 Danish youngsters who haven't yet signed a professional contract don't require compensation to sign. He was completely free!

lots of playing time, defult forward training and individual focus on stamina (on averange at all time):

he is still my back up in the 2018/2019 pre season on my fm10 Roma save:

You did an awesome job with both players, Muniain because you've significantly lengthened his career that way (and when his physical attributes start to decline he could easily be transformed into an AMC, which would help him last even longer!) and Crescenzi because I have never seen him that good.

I had him as my first choice rightback for a few years when I tried an all-Italian save, but even then he never developed and I sold him when I brought in Davide Santon. Had he been 17 on FM12 a definite area for focus would be that pace, which even in your screenshot is low, while all other attributes are good enough to be a top level fullback. Just out of interest, who did you tutor him with to get his determination to 18?

[ramie]

Ok, here is my go at developing a player. I'm going to use Zaha. Here is a SS of him.

This is how I'm training him.

How does that look? He already has decent pace, but is really lacking in mental department.

[Romanista1994]

Ok, here is my go at developing a player. I'm going to use Zaha. Here is a SS of him.

This is how I'm training him.

How does that look? He already has decent pace, but is really lacking in mental department.

His strengths are obviously speed, flair and vision and ball control, so it surprises me that you would have him on a heavy individual focus for technique at this stage. I'd much rather have him focusing on his weaker attributes like his stamina, composure, finishing, passing or off the ball. You could even put him on quickness training to give him an advantage over defenders, but his technique is bound to grow, especially because you have him on intensive training for ball control.

The schedule in itself is sound, though my approach would be lowering the strength to raise the aerobic.

Remember though that this is not a thread about training, but rather the whole process of development. I can give advice but you'll have to find him a tutor yourself and pick the right amount of games as well as the right type of games for him to perform. With his speed and dribbling he'll be a very effective threat in the last ten minutes of games, when defenders are tired and more prone to lapses of concentration. Good luck in turning him into a monster of a right winger.

[ramie]

His strengths are obviously speed, flair and vision and ball control, so it surprises me that you would have him on a heavy individual focus for technique at this stage. I'd much rather have him focusing on his weaker attributes like his stamina, composure, finishing, passing or off the ball. You could even put him on quickness training to give him an advantage over defenders, but his technique is bound to grow, especially because you have him on intensive training for ball control.

The schedule in itself is sound, though my approach would be lowering the strength to raise the aerobic.

Remember though that this is not a thread about training, but rather the whole process of development. I can give advice but you'll have to find him a tutor yourself and pick the right amount of games as well as the right type of games for him to perform. With his speed and dribbling he'll be a very effective threat in the last ten minutes of games, when defenders are tired and more prone to lapses of concentration. Good luck in turning him into a monster of a right winger.

Thanks for the reply, I have taken you advice and lowered his strength (to just 4 clicks), I going to put his individual focus on stamina, because that is where he is really weak. Also, for the other side of his development, I have tutored him of with a similar player and giving a him first team games via cup's and sub appearances.

How much does determination affect development? If it is low, will this mean that they wont work hard to better themselves?

[Romanista1994]

Thanks for the reply, I have taken you advice and lowered his strength (to just 4 clicks), I going to put his individual focus on stamina, because that is where he is really weak. Also, for the other side of his development, I have tutored him of with a similar player and giving a him first team games via cup's and sub appearances.

How much does determination affect development? If it is low, will this mean that they wont work hard to better themselves?

I think Determination was found to have less of a direct impact on a player's development than Professionalism and Ambition, but it still has an effect. Also, less determined players are more prone to giving up during matches, which can lower their ratings hindering their development and the team's performance as a whole.

[fman1]

Have to say great thread. I have been a bit lazy in my game after creating position specific training and just sticking players into them

Now looking at the stats and how I want my youngsters to fit into my team before creating a schedule that will suit. My scouts have highlighted a couple of promising regens I hope to pick up and mould into the type of player I need. Should save cash as I don't have much and gets that feeling of seeing a players you have moulded have a 30 goal season, or be a rock at the back.

So thanks for getting me interested in properly developing my players again.

[Romanista1994]

Have to say great thread. I have been a bit lazy in my game after creating position specific training and just sticking players into them

Now looking at the stats and how I want my youngsters to fit into my team before creating a schedule that will suit. My scouts have highlighted a couple of promising regens I hope to pick up and mould into the type of player I need. Should save cash as I don't have much and gets that feeling of seeing a players you have moulded have a 30 goal season, or be a rock at the back.

So thanks for getting me interested in properly developing my players again.

No problem, really glad that my thread got your interest back. Hopefully you'll soon be back here with the players you have developed.

[Necleto]

To avoid personality clashes I have a few players who have good, but not brilliant personalities, who they have to be paired with before they can move to the elite tutors.

What criteria do you use to determine who your elite tutors are?

Also, I usually try to pick a tutor who has the same kind of personality as the younger player, but in my current save, I can see that this is almost impossible. 90% of my U19 squad has balanced personalities. So, what kind of personality should I pick for the tutors? I have a wide spectrum of first team player personalities available and I'm wondering what match I should be looking for.

[Romanista1994]

What criteria do you use to determine who your elite tutors are?

Also, I usually try to pick a tutor who has the same kind of personality as the younger player, but in my current save, I can see that this is almost impossible. 90% of my U19 squad has balanced personalities. So, what kind of personality should I pick for the tutors? I have a wide spectrum of first team player personalities available and I'm wondering what match I should be looking for.

Players with a very high combination of determination and professionalism (and other hidden attributes preferably) are my elite tutors who get the top youngsters and the ones that have passed through secondary tutors and can improve their personality further.

The secondary tutors have very high ratings in one of determination or professionalism. They get the youngsters that have a decent personality which can still be improved a lot.

The last group of tutors is those that tutor promising youngsters with bad personalities to prepare them for better tutors later on. These tutors are balanced with decent determination and professionalism or the likes of resolute, resilient and spirited personalities.

In your case I would go with elite tutors for the very best youngsters in your youth squad, then secondary tutors for the next range of youngsters and normal tutors for those who have a balanced personality with low determination.