Sport Psychologist

[Sopel]

A new backroom staff role with the ability of individual training focused on mental stats.

Individual training could be based on and improve (skills in order of their significance in the training)
Work ethic sessions (Work rate >> Detemination > Ambition)
Stress management sessions (Concentration >> Composure = Pressure > Important Matches)
Self-improvement sessions (Proffesionalism >> Bravery > Leadership)
Creativity sessions (Flair > Decisions)

And a new "training drill"
Group session (Team Work >> boost to the team morale, chemistry and individual bonds > Vision)

Club Psychologist has become a standard member of the staff in modern football.
In FM series some of the mental stats can be raised slightly by the training (as they are connected to the on-pitch skills) but some, that are more based on personal psyche cannot. The only way they can raise is by the player getting older, which in today's world is old-fashioned.
Most of the athletes work with individual psychologists but they are employed by the clubs as in football world they are needed by everyone - from old players who need to find motivation or reignite the passion for the job of footballer, to the youngsters who have the potential and dreams but not the character and drive to achieve it, from top flight players who underperform under pressure to the lower league players who you'd like to be a bit more focused or you'd want them to take this seriously and work a bit harder or simply want them to get more creative)
Also, sometimes the Psychologist can arrange a group session where the players can work out their issues which results in a better understanding how to work together as a team, helps to alleviate the tension a little bit and may even make them more perceptive of eachother and where they are on pitch.

From gameplay standpoint - I know how important are Ambition, Determination and Proffesionalism stats in the overall player improvement path. That's why I tried to focus the training on the "on-pitch" skills and for the hidden attributes to be raised slightly. It also validates hiring psychologists as they improve attributes that no other coach can. Their work may be the difference between achieving the full potential of a youngster or failing. I tried to make the sessions balanced - some seem more suited for youngsters, some for already developed players but all can be used accordingly to your needs.

[Bigpole]

Probably it will be hard to implement due to lack of 'known' club psychologists but overall idea is spot on, personally I'd focus them only on hidden attributes (because in my opinion player is more likely to improve himself after sessions with psychologist than lose his determination/ambition because of few unambitious and rather unimportant youngsters).

[Sopel]

2 hours ago, Bigpole said:

Probably it will be hard to implement due to lack of 'known' club psychologists but overall idea is spot on, personally I'd focus them only on hidden attributes (because in my opinion player is more likely to improve himself after sessions with psychologist than lose his determination/ambition because of few unambitious and rather unimportant youngsters).

Implementation is key, information will be gathered gradually by the researchers and the community, imo it's better to be ahead of the curve

[GianniM]

What I've been thinking too. This came to my mind while reading an article on how so many high potentials eventually fail, in part due to the lack of psychological support. Especially when they arrive in a new country from abroad, being regarded as the next big thing at the age of 18 they can't cope with the high expectations, don't fit in culture-wise. Even Zlatan had issues when he arrived at Ajax.

So this can improve the welcoming process as well, as now it's just telling your captain to welcome him and after a few months you just see a message that the new player appreciated that. 

Not sure if he'd need dedicated training sessions, perhaps just someone that's there in the background and you can assign certain tasks, or have certain packages based on the amount of money you're willing to spend on it. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by GianniM

[Luke Hume]

Reviewed so locked.