Lots of Things

Youth Wage Thing

Posted this on the SI forums but it's fairly relevant. Some teams have been bidding massive amounts on securing promising youngsters every day or so the database generates around ten 16 year olds. Of these one or two will be flagged as 'Potential Superstars'.

From what I've experienced thus far (only four seasons) the potential of a player isn't a banker by any means. The more stars the more likely it is you'll see an improvement but how much of an improvement is fairly random.

I would guess that SI have coded in a chance of failure but not quite as spectacular complete failure. If you look at a senior player in terms of ability using rep with six stars (household name) then it would work like this:-

Youth Potential Senior Rep Range
5 Star 3 Star - 6 Star
4 Star 2 Star - 6 Star
3 Star 1.5 Star - 6 Star
2 Star 1 star - 5 Star
1 Star 1 Star - 4 Star

Which actually is quite realistic often you hear of a kid that has been in an academy and been flagged up as a superstar of tomorrow but ends up playing championship football.

Hefferman
Hefferman, ohhhhhh how close, if you read this blog you'll know that Hefferman is my big youth gamble £5k a day for a 17yo with a wage demand of £2k was a lot for me. Well he started this season as he ended last season, dreadful. His U17 strike partner Lopez has continued to improve and whilst not being a jaw dropper very solid performance all round. Another kid I randomly picked up Brien has been banging them in at U17 level this season along with Pereda and I was just getting overloaded with too many young strikers and not enough games.

Heffermans Aq Fee was £250k it wasn't happening for him so I actually listed him and started him off at £1.1m auction (well below Market Value). Surely someone could see what I saw and would take a punt on him, no takers. I thought he's 18 lets give him till he's 19 and if he hasn't broken into the U21 side then he'll have to go.

With 20 games gone he had got around 4 goals with 80 games gone 50 goals. Deadly is not the word and exceptional pace and with Malonga out has actually broken the first team!

Lazy
In my first few seasons I was a bit of a swot in League Games, I'd check to see how each team played and then change my tactic to face them. I don't know if it's boredom or complancy but this season I haven't bothered. Subsequently we're a long way off chasing for title. Ohh well.

We did hit the top 40 in the rankings recently but as Malonga is injured we're struggling again now. The kids, Sene / Macualey and Hefferman up front are patchy at senior level (seen this before with Wendall) so we're really struggling at the minute. It's a pity but now I have to spend a few days just playing the odd game at senior level until Malonga comes back.

Lucho has been awesome perhaps his biggest contribution has been a boost to the number of green arrows with all players. it could be coincidence but seems logical. Next season I have three kids turning 22 and all are candidates for first team football all of which are midfielders. Bearing in mind that I need a left back and maybe a goalie and no big pot of cash the logical thing to do is to turn my biggest asset Lucho into cash.

The next dilema I face is again with a kid Kim Heung Keun, I know it's at youth level but a 7.4 Av rating he's a winger like Tarik, Tarik is now 24 and I suspect I could get a LOT of money for a player with such a fantastic proven record.

Maybe I'll wait until we're out of the Champions League then start having a look at what I can get. I almost quite look forward to getting knocked out of the Champions League as it's always good fun to look at players and make decisions that will effect you for another month.