You may be a sleeping giant, but the likes of PSG are, living and breathing awake giants, with a massive wallet for a weapon. That money could go into improving youth training facilities or youth recruitment it could go into hiring a couple of new scouts or widening your recruitment network it could even simply go into reinforcing the squad’s weak points. While the immediate reaction is to refuse in disgust, pause and give it a thought. You’ve been building a squad slowly, making smart signings, developing your youth and then PSG strolls around, with their massive checkbook looking to take the jewel of the crown. Of course, that also means you have to know when to cash in. Getting stuck in the old ways is what got that club where you found it, don’t repeat the mistakes. That striker that got you the last two promotions is struggling to find his feet in the top divisions? Perhaps it’s time to find him a new destination. What does this mean in FM terms? Well, it’s easy, don’t get overly attached to your players. Just make sure they’re not the ones starting week-in week-out Having a respected, senior figure at the club can mean a world of good for the youngsters. Got an absolute legend that’s no longer working as an asset to your club? Give him a statue outside the ground, a big round of clamorous applause and offer him a contract as a youth coach, cause in football there’s nothing quite as bad as reading yesterday’s news the following morning. Giants fall because they become sloppy with their money and overconfident in their capabilities part of that is not knowing when to let go. You know what they say about learning from the mistakes of the past. You know what they say about big fish and little fish. Bayern Munich is famous for this approach and considering they’ve picked up the last eight Bundesligas, I’d say it’s working. Unsettle them by declaring your interest in them, have your assistant coach (or better yet, you yourself) go watch them live, be assertive in press conferences when asked about it… Do everything you can do to get that player crazy about the possibility of joining one of the game’s biggest names. You can benefit from this situation by preying on them and taking their best players. Particularly if you’re playing way below your station (think Notts County or Bolton), you’re more than likely to have a substantial reputation benefit when compared with your rivals. Reputation brings another benefit, keeping everyone in awe of you. Fans can be a force for good in football, wield them wisely But how to use that advantage…? When the stars have left, when the manager has been sacked, when the owner has sold, only the faithful few remain. You’re going to be routinely making more money than your closest rivals, meaning you can (albeit being careful about it) also spend more. And there’s another advantage, the fans your higher reputation and illustrious past, combined with the fact that you most likely play in a big city, means you’ll be regularly attracting more fans than your rivals, putting you a leg up on them. You might not be packing it like in the good old days, but it still is a 30,000 plus all-seater (or close to that). For starters, there’s that huge relic of your club’s glorious past, the stadium. Swing with your weight behind itĪ sleeping giant might be sleeping, but they’re still a giant you need to take advantage of that, and there are several ways. That way you’ll slowly grow a source of talent you can depend on. “The class of ‘90, ‘92 and ‘93” just didn’t have the same ring to it, but that didn’t bother their manager, did it? When that time of the year comes, just take the good and discard the bad. Man United’s most famous generation of academy products may have the catchy name, but in truth, not all of the six often talked about players emerged that very same year. The same goes for a fruitful youth set-up. Truth is that great teams aren’t built overnight but as a long, thought-out process. Particularly, if Youth Intake Day rolls around and you only have one or two useful players among a bunch of failures, don’t despair. That way, their influence on players coming up through the ranks will become valuable to you. Apart from the attributes, look for someone who favors your formation and style, and particularly, with a good personality (Professional, Ambitious, Determined and others). Hiring a competent Head of Youth Development will also be worth it. When you have put the books in order and some money is available, consider also asking the Board to spend it improving some of those once-great and now-decadent structures. Good youth sides take some time to build, but they certainly pay off. Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes.
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