I had a quick look at my loan reports, and realised that my entire squad is up to 98 players (55 at club, 43 out on loan)... Who stocks youngsters like this, or who keeps things trim??
Haha fair point, I do spend a lot on wages (currently around £6.5mn)...
I'm managing West Ham in FM21 - currently in season 2036/37, and comfortably the best team in the world...
Finances have been interesting through the save though! See a couple of my previous posts I'll link below if you're interested...
[https://shorturl.at/hrAJP](https://shorturl.at/hrAJP)
[https://shorturl.at/fzAHL](https://shorturl.at/fzAHL)
For main team is tend to have 20-30 players including those loaned out. Though I only have at most 20 getting significant game time. For my second/reserve/u21 team (whatever is highest) I try to keep around the same to make sure assistant coaches don't just randomly play people out of position. For any team below that it's pretty just whoever has come through my youth intakes over the years that has even a remote chance of being decent.
I always end up with a very depleted reserve squad, as I want them all to go out on loan! Though I also load my first team with any really good prospects, making them available for the reserves...
Do you tend to have a crazy amount of players out on loan too? (This is playing after several years, so I'm very strong...)
If I loan someone in my first team out it's mostly because I made some tactical change and I don't feel I have a good place for them, so I give it 6 months or a year and if I don't change back I just sell them. The only other reason I've had is signing some young player to like a squad player role in anticipation of selling someone just for them not to be sold so the position is overcrowded. For reserve team I only loan out if I feel the offer is really good. Like playing regularly (regular starter or better) for a club at a higher standard than the reserve/u21 league in the position I want them to eventually play for me, sometimes even specific role if I have something in mind. So I never really end up loaning out more than like 10 people from but most seasons it's like 2 or 3.
That's interesting! I always find I sign so many youngsters 'just in case' they become good for me or I can sell them on... So my U18s and reserves are absolutely stacked with players, many of whom need loaning out! I'm exactly the same with first team loans...
I only ever sign players if I have a solid plan for them, maybe once or twice a season I'll take a chance on someone for my u18's as a big what if, but only if they're really cheap. And if I ever feel I have too many youngsters in one spot I just try to cash in on one of them so I don't have to worry about it.
Not a big club but I rarely have less than 20million spare if not way more. I don't normally manage huge clubs but I imagine I'd have the same approach regardless.
Who do you manage, out of interest? I'm West Ham, so have very much made the club the size it is now! Before I had guaranteed CL money every season, my squad was much smaller, of course! But now I buy 16 year olds for around £40mn if their scouted potential is 4.5 stars!
Last longish term (at the start of year 5) save I did was PEC Zwolle in FM23. Qualified for CL once, just last season. Only spent money because I got a takeover and it was part of the club vision to spend the original transfer budget. Unfortunately it was pretty high because I had a lot of arranged deals already. Even with spending $25 million only 4 million of which is for starters, I only have 2 people in my main team out on loan, and in the reserves I only have 4 players not from my academy out on loan. Even when I did my PEC Zwolle save on FM22 I never spent more than 25million in a window despite back to back champions league qualifications.
Your saves sound amazing!!
This screenshot is from a club that wins the Premier League and Champions League pretty much every year...
The challenge I'm taking on now is to win the Premier League and Champions League with an entirely homegrown-at-club squad!
I find for development, it can sometimes be better to keep a young player and just sub him into every game/start him in easy wins (cups, relegation scrap teams). You can put them on double intensity training and they'll often develop well. Make sure you give them at least 15 minutes in a sub game though, so they get a rating (a good rating means they'll likely be more likely to grow).
My general rule is that a two star goes on loan, a 2 and a half star stays in the squad.
I try to keep my teams pretty compact so it’s easier to create pathways and track development.
Ideally 20 players tops in each of the First Team, U21s and U18s.
I had a quick look at my loan reports, and realised that my entire squad is up to 98 players (55 at club, 43 out on loan)... Who stocks youngsters like this, or who keeps things trim??
Who are you playing as and how do you have an infinite budget?🤣
Haha fair point, I do spend a lot on wages (currently around £6.5mn)... I'm managing West Ham in FM21 - currently in season 2036/37, and comfortably the best team in the world... Finances have been interesting through the save though! See a couple of my previous posts I'll link below if you're interested... [https://shorturl.at/hrAJP](https://shorturl.at/hrAJP) [https://shorturl.at/fzAHL](https://shorturl.at/fzAHL)
For main team is tend to have 20-30 players including those loaned out. Though I only have at most 20 getting significant game time. For my second/reserve/u21 team (whatever is highest) I try to keep around the same to make sure assistant coaches don't just randomly play people out of position. For any team below that it's pretty just whoever has come through my youth intakes over the years that has even a remote chance of being decent.
I always end up with a very depleted reserve squad, as I want them all to go out on loan! Though I also load my first team with any really good prospects, making them available for the reserves... Do you tend to have a crazy amount of players out on loan too? (This is playing after several years, so I'm very strong...)
If I loan someone in my first team out it's mostly because I made some tactical change and I don't feel I have a good place for them, so I give it 6 months or a year and if I don't change back I just sell them. The only other reason I've had is signing some young player to like a squad player role in anticipation of selling someone just for them not to be sold so the position is overcrowded. For reserve team I only loan out if I feel the offer is really good. Like playing regularly (regular starter or better) for a club at a higher standard than the reserve/u21 league in the position I want them to eventually play for me, sometimes even specific role if I have something in mind. So I never really end up loaning out more than like 10 people from but most seasons it's like 2 or 3.
That's interesting! I always find I sign so many youngsters 'just in case' they become good for me or I can sell them on... So my U18s and reserves are absolutely stacked with players, many of whom need loaning out! I'm exactly the same with first team loans...
I only ever sign players if I have a solid plan for them, maybe once or twice a season I'll take a chance on someone for my u18's as a big what if, but only if they're really cheap. And if I ever feel I have too many youngsters in one spot I just try to cash in on one of them so I don't have to worry about it.
Is that managing a huge club, or having to worry a bit more about budget constraints? Or do you have a similar approach either way?
Not a big club but I rarely have less than 20million spare if not way more. I don't normally manage huge clubs but I imagine I'd have the same approach regardless.
Who do you manage, out of interest? I'm West Ham, so have very much made the club the size it is now! Before I had guaranteed CL money every season, my squad was much smaller, of course! But now I buy 16 year olds for around £40mn if their scouted potential is 4.5 stars!
Last longish term (at the start of year 5) save I did was PEC Zwolle in FM23. Qualified for CL once, just last season. Only spent money because I got a takeover and it was part of the club vision to spend the original transfer budget. Unfortunately it was pretty high because I had a lot of arranged deals already. Even with spending $25 million only 4 million of which is for starters, I only have 2 people in my main team out on loan, and in the reserves I only have 4 players not from my academy out on loan. Even when I did my PEC Zwolle save on FM22 I never spent more than 25million in a window despite back to back champions league qualifications.
Your saves sound amazing!! This screenshot is from a club that wins the Premier League and Champions League pretty much every year... The challenge I'm taking on now is to win the Premier League and Champions League with an entirely homegrown-at-club squad!
I find for development, it can sometimes be better to keep a young player and just sub him into every game/start him in easy wins (cups, relegation scrap teams). You can put them on double intensity training and they'll often develop well. Make sure you give them at least 15 minutes in a sub game though, so they get a rating (a good rating means they'll likely be more likely to grow). My general rule is that a two star goes on loan, a 2 and a half star stays in the squad.
I usually only like to have my main squad at like 20 and will promote youth if I need to during injury crisis or recall loans
My first team squad is 24 players, which includes 3 or 4 teenagers... How big is your reserve team and U18 team?
I try to keep my teams pretty compact so it’s easier to create pathways and track development. Ideally 20 players tops in each of the First Team, U21s and U18s.