Shortlists - What's your routine.

[janrzm]

Every new release I think to myself I'll do a better job of managing shortlists and keeping organised......every year it gets messy.

Tell me what your shortlist routine is, how are people managing lists effectively?? 

Or point me to a thread where this has all been discussed before because I couldn't find one.....

[Grifty]

I don't normally add players to my shortlist until they are 100% scouted unless I can tell from first place they are especially good.

I normally have a small clean up at the end of each season, and then a big clean out every 2-3 seasons.

[Harper]

I keep lists for U18, U21, U23, and O23 players and update them every season. I trim during the transition, dropping low rated players and player who don't look to be progressing. By the time they are in the O23 group, the group is pretty thin and consists of players I'll only go after if they get unsettled or reach the final year of their deal.

[janrzm]

8 hours ago, Harper said:

I keep lists for U18, U21, U23, and O23 players and update them every season. I trim during the transition, dropping low rated players and player who don't look to be progressing. By the time they are in the O23 group, the group is pretty thin and consists of players I'll only go after if they get unsettled or reach the final year of their deal.

I’ve approached this in similar ways in the past, the key is having the discipline to keep on top of it. Last year I only used the default shortlist and filtered accordingly, lazy but it worked ok.

[djpdavey]

I define my club DNA with some specific attributes with acceptable minimum values e.g. Workrate, Decisions, First Touch, Composure, Acceleration, Determination ask the scouts to go out indefinately to find players with those attributes, scout then fully then if they don't have big match dreading or injury susceptibility and they have all the additional attributes I want for a role they go on the shortlist for a year and also into shortlist for that position/role for a year also. Then come summer transfer window I buy the ones I can, the ones I don't will be auto removed. If I move up a league I might redefine the attribute levels for the scouts and remove all players from the short lists who do not meet thoses new levels.

[sporadicsmiles]

I typically keep 3 shortlists that I update periodically.

1. Transfer targets for the coming transfer window.

2. Long term targets who I am interested in and want to keep an eye on. I add people to this list from scout reports, and will trim it once per season to remove players I will likely never actually sign.

3. A list for players I want to keep on eye on to see if someone makes an offer, or they get unhappy. Not players who I would class as targets but ones I may be interested in depending on their circumstances (and that I do not want to miss out on to the AI). This list changes all the time.

About a month before each transfer window (so December and just after the end of the season) I will populate my transfer target list from the other two lists I have. This is in a broader squad management scheme where I am always planning my squad 18 months (3 transfer windows) in advance. I make sure I know exactly which of my players I will keep and which I will release/sell and when. That way, I know exactly what I am doing in each transfer window, which players I will try to sign/unsettle in advance, what areas of my squad I need to improve. It is a bit extra work, but it makes squad building and management run so smoothly.

[metallimuse]

Can you do multiple lists? I didn't know that.

I always start in Scotland so I go through SPFL and Championship teams and scout all Scottish players (only sign players of the nation I'm in) adding players under the age of 26 who look good to my shortlist and then every year in the summer I go through 'scouted players' adding any to the list not already there and clearing out anyone over 26.

If I go to a new nation I do it again but leave the Scottish lads as I will generally take on Scotland at some point. If I then go to a new nation I clear out the previous nation and so on but always leaving the Scots lads.

Must say though, past few years it's been a pointless exercise as I've been playing youth only but it's a habit I keep. 

[Bothan Spy]

Fingers crossed, I can import my shortlist from FM19 to FM20 without any hassle as it will save me from a massive headache!

But going on recent times, I won't hold my breath...

[s0ni42]

I keep a shortlist for every position within my system. Every few months I will go through, update scouting reports and reevaluate each player. I create new shortlists for any positions we will be looking to backfill or upgrade in next transfer window. Those lists basically comprise of the positional lists expanded to take a deeper look at similar players and more attention to age profile we need.

[puffascruffowitz]

I always end up using my shortlist as sort of a 2nd more pared down database. When using a huge starting database it can be very unwieldy to use, so I dump any player of remote interest into my shortlist. From there even a thousand player shortlist is easily sortable. Then just cull whichever players are clearly not good enough. 

[porthillshrew]

I have a few different lists.

From memory I have:

- Youth Intake (from teams of interest)

- Rejected Youth Intake (when 100% scouted from above shortlists, I move any into here that are low potential - just so I can see how they have turned out.

- Potential signings

- Good mentors

[Snorks]

My player shortlists are:

U18

U23/Reserves

Backup

First Team

Default

 

Scouted players that I want to shortlist/keep an eye on, are added to whichever list they fit according to CA and/or Age, and are added for a year. When I am in the market for a particular position/role I will add players to the Default list as well - which is populated for the tfr window - that becomes my 'wishlist' of players I am actively chasing.

As players develop/get older, they get shuffled through the age groups until such time I buy them or decide they are no longer good enough fr me. Adding them for a year means I get the regular reminders to keep the lists updated.

I find this way means that after a couple of seasons I am in a position whereby a sudden departure, injury or whatever leaves a hole in the squad, I don;t/shouldn't need to spend time scouting a replacement.

 

My Staff lists I run a little different. Good staff are simply added to the list (Default) and when I need a hire, I use the filters to find suitable people within the list. This is only ever populated through the recommendation emails received, so I usually still end up trawling the unshortlisted staff as well.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Snorks