Players asking for days off and being late

[Eborg]

I have always found it odd that in 15+ season saves my players have never approached me for a day off. It is something that happens regularly in real life football all around the world and I believe it should be simulated in FM as well. We have to avoid the game being too "Premiershipy" where such things happen on a smaller scale (but they do happen!) but it probably happens much more often in other countries where the media exposure is smaller and on semi-pro and amateur level where players have regular jobs to juggle with in their everyday lives. Right now we as managers can send players on long-term rests if they are being homesick but why don't we have similar personal issues (both positive and negative) that last for only a day or two?

At the end of the day, football is still a job for players and regardless of the level they are playing at they have personal obligations to fulfill sometimes. It can range from partners giving birth, children being sick, friends or relatives dying, needing a day or two to resolve marital issues, visiting a dentist in another city, taking high school/university final exams etc. I am aware that these reasons cannot be simulated in full for legal reasons but here is a simple neutral news item that might do the trick:

"Your assistant manager Ezio Auditore has informed you that the player Edward Kenway had approached him in training and asked for two days off for personal reasons starting on Wednesday, April 25th. His current level of morale is average and his commitment to training has been normal.

If you agree to grant this request there is a chance that he might lose some match fitness for missing four training sessions without the proper rest. He would be back on Friday, April 25th, one day before our next match against AFC Masyaf on Saturday, April 26th. Since this player is considered as a back-up player in the team and has not been selected for the past 2 matches, the assistant manager recommends that you grant this request as it would not affect our preparation for the next match.

Your assistant manager has also informed you that by rejecting this request you might strain your relationship with the player because despite his high level of professionalism this request seems particularly important to him."

So a few variables there:

1) Player: length, morale, training commitment, personality, importance of request

2) Squad: squad status, selection

It is a relatively straightforward suggestion which would require some testing and tweaking but I believe it would add a new layer of man management to the managerial job which is already present in real life. More important players would obviously be more missed and restricted from taking days off so it is up to a manager to make that decision. Unprofessional players or those who tend to cause problems could even go AWOL if their reasons are very important and their request is not granted sparkling a conflict with their managers, agents defending them in the press, media, fans and teammates joining in etc.

This whole request thing should not happen too often but with 30-man squads it should happen at least once or twice per season, depending on the squad mentality (a more professional player would not need a day off to go to the dentist but would find a way to squeeze it in but a less professional one who is a star on the team could ask for days off for every little thing).

On the other side, there is an issue of missing training or being late as well. I have had only 2 or 3 players missing training (usually because they were unhappy because of a transfer bid that had been rejected) and 1 or 2 missing a flight when coming back from international duty. I have never seen that a player is late for training because of his personality (low professionalism and/or determination) or pure chance (traffic jam, bad weather during winter months etc.).

I know it seems all silky and nice in the Premiership where players have everything catered for them including drivers, taxis and such but it is completely realistic that it happens on all levels, e.g. a foreign player on a basic wage who signed a week ago and who does not speak the local language is late for training. Therefore, I would like to see some of this incorporated and tweaked as well, just as another challenge for us as managers to tolerate/fine our star and upcoming players and to juggle the challenges connected to that.

It can be further worked on but generally I believe it should be one of those features to see in one of the future releases to give us more manager challenges and realism.

[Neil Brock]

Reviewed so locked.