LLM Player Acquisition

[Zodiak]

Hello everyone!

I am relatively new to LLM and currently facing a somewhat peculiar problem. You know how almost every LLM guide and tutorial starts? No money. That seems to be the number one characteristic. So I, staying true to the mantra, started my career paying special attention to finances. Only to realize that money is actually the least of my concerns. You see, I have money. More than enough. Both transfer and wages. Enough to bring in several players. I have even preemptively cleared out my squad hoping to strengthen and seeing that the plague of LLM - no money - has passed me by. Come transfer window what do I see? Not a single decent player wants to join me. Mind you, I’m not a newbie: scouts, filters for only those who would be willing to join, the works. I’m not trying to sign out of my league. Yet no one even remotely capable to at least not make us weaker doesn’t even want to open talks, not even get to the promises stage. I’ve dropped down a league or two in my quest, but the players are either substantially weaker or unwilling to join as well. Loans are better, but I’m limited to five, and not one of them wants to make the move permanent despite being my leaders. To sum up: it seems LLM is miles away from being about money. It’s more about the fact that you’re just not a very attractive destination. So here I am, two days before the window shuts, cleared out squad, no signings... I don’t want to buy for the sake of buying, you see, but trust me that I am not in any way aiming above my weight. Just mostly working from the lists my scouts have given me. 

To not make this exclusively a rant, what are my options? Am I missing something? How do I get them to join in a situation where I’m not even given a chance to offer them bucketloads of money...?

[WorcesterLegend]

reputation is the key here, if your team has less reputation than the team the player is he will not want to even talk unless he is a reserve role player.

in order to help we need to know what team are you managing, what league you are right now, who are you trying to sign and what team is he.

[Spikey]

Pre-emptively clearing out your squad has likely caused your current predicament.

I did the same playing in National League once and discovered that players who were interested in joining suddenly lost interest after my squad clear out. I assume the lack of players must in some way impact on your club stature and this makes the players less interested in joining. 

I found that each time I managed to sign a new player a few more players became interested. It was hard work getting the numbers up initially though.

[WhiskeyDingo]

What club are you playing?

I started a LLM game in Vanarama league of England with Dartford and I wouldn't say I get better players than the one I cleared out in terms of ability the first summer. Rather I just found the best free agents who would who had highest 4 or 5 key stats for the position I was looking for. Rather than being outright 'better' the players just had their points better allocated into key stats for the position/role.

Thing is every team has terrible players in the lower league. Often the top tier leagues are more unbalanced competitively I find. So you should be able to compete well or even win if you get your tactics right even without clearing out entire squads. I think I get rid of somewhere between 4-8 players usually when I start a game and make do with the rest. By 3 seasons in though it is an entirely different team than what I started with.

 

[Zodiak]

Thank you guys! I am managing Forest Green. Currently end of January, season one. Roughly 20k below wage budget, original 150k TB plus whatever gets redistributed from the wage budget, so almost a million, I believe, potentially. Doing OK, just outside of play-off spots. Squad clearout was for players who were all signed last (this?) season on ridiculous wages and some even on two-year contracts. I don't know what that club was thinking IRL. All the players I mentioned were objectively worse than my starting XI and subs (including loanees, of course, who play a huge role). As an example, they had something like 6-7 identical CBs on their roster, one really old and with no pace at all. How and when am I expected to give him game time over 6 or 7 of his teammates? Same for a couple of more. Also had to sell an OK-ish attacker who had a very disruptive and bad attitude. I mean, it was *very* easy to identify my starting XI and a few subs just because the rest were objectively below par while on some of the highest wages in the team. Whoever deserved a fair chance, either stayed or has gotten it. I am only clearing out those that are obviously of no use. I am not chasing any dreams here. My team are the same guys + loanees who I'm unable to sign permanently. 

And I of course know about reputation and all these factors. It's just the extent of the problem that surprised me. How much of an impact it has and how few option it leaves me. I haven't been able to find a player who would be equal/on par with my starting XI, let alone better. I've done practically all I could: manually went through all the leagues I have loaded, all competitions looking at stats, leaders etc. Scottish 2nd and 3rd division clubs. Whatever I could get my hands on. No options. The only one willing to join me is Humphreys(?), a young CB from Man City. I currently have him on hold because of a high transfer fee + sell on percentage. I am thinking: is he worth it? Maybe, but he isn't markedly better than my CBs. And I'm shipping goals so I need the problem dealt with. I have a young CB (forgot his name), 21 years (vs 19 of Humphreys) whose stats are already better and who is progressing really well. I'm looking for a good CM, for example: literally no options who would join me. Found a few through scouting, they outright refuse. 

So how do you guys look for players? Am I to just wait until my rep improves? But that can take literally ages! To be honest, the whole situation is a bit of a bummer to me... I enjoy LLM overall but am finding it hard ATM to do any kind of squad building, with no way out... and that's the fun in FM, isn't it?

As for free agents and whatnot, look - I can't just sign someone for the sake of signing. If they are objectively worse and useless, why bother? Give me a player at least on par with my current squad. 

[Zodiak]

I will post pics when I get home. Squad, shortlists. Don't mind some of my tone, I really am quite reasonable. Sometimes just easier to get a point across this way.

[WorcesterLegend]

you are in play-off spots, so you kind of have one of the best teams in the league, the problem is that there are no better players in your own league, try to read exactly why they aren't talking to you, if is reputation, money, training equipment, etc.

[michaeltmurrayuk]

For the most part if you want to attract better players that are contracted to another club then you need to look at;

Transfer Listed players.
Or Players from clubs that are smaller than you are and are located somewhere near the club as part-time players won't tend to travel far (i.e. a club in the North West will struggle to attract players from London).

Also don't bother with players outside of England as they won't move countries to a part-time club, also your manager rep might have an affect as will how much wages you can offer.

Though for the most part in LLM you'll generally improve your squad by picking up youngsters released from Prem/Champ sides at the end of the season or picking up other released players, though depending on your starting settings you might not have many unattached players to pick from in the first season, but come the start of next season there should be plenty of options for you to pick from.

The other option is if you have the money is to ask the board to turn pro or try and get promoted to the Football League where you will turn pro automatically and will then be able to attract players.

Also if you are making money at that level then I'd put it towards improving your various training facilities and youth recruitment as if you are planning on getting the club up the leagues that is more important for the long term future of the club.

[Zodiak]

Thank you everyone! Here are some screens. Squad, scouted, fixtures, transfers... 

Also, just to note: I do not ever use any kind of wonderkid lists or anything, never have in my FM career. What I'm asking for are general guidelines, not necessarily names. But, on the other hand, if a single name might prove a point, no harm done. Just your experiences, basically.

Just to be fair as well: I'm 11th with a game in hand, five points off 7th. Used to be in play-off for a short while, but we can't defend, so fell a bit...

 

[Snorks]

I find it hard in LLM as well to be honest, but that's kind of LLM challenge.

Look for free transfers and loans is the best way  I found. I don;t take much notice of the player's age if their stats are OK, shorter contracts is the name of the game. 

I am looking either for youngsters who are on their way up or oldsters who are on their way down - anything in between can be a bonus. Squad'building; for a legacy is damned difficult as a part-time outfit so I am happy to be seen as a stepping stone or as a pasture for retirement. (Plus, oldsters can become great coaches or mentors)

[KlaaZ]

It gets even better if you move through the leagues relatively quickly but keep losing money. I got my wage budget slashed in the Championship from 145k to 115k per week because I was 2 mil in the red which meant I had to sell a few of my better players and be very creative with loans/free signings the next season. 

[Snorks]

If I a m honest, and I really don;t want to sound like I am criticising the OP but having a clearout BEFORE replacements are lined up seems to be the issue. The few times I have got shot of someone first I usually end up reaching the end of a window without a suitable replacement and struggling.

[JordanMilly]

On 25/05/2018 at 17:27, Spikey said:

Pre-emptively clearing out your squad has likely caused your current predicament.

I did the same playing in National League once and discovered that players who were interested in joining suddenly lost interest after my squad clear out. I assume the lack of players must in some way impact on your club stature and this makes the players less interested in joining. 

I found that each time I managed to sign a new player a few more players became interested. It was hard work getting the numbers up initially though.

This is correct. If you clear out your squad first, it makes your squad look weak to other players, so they don't want to join. You need to bring in players, and then get rid of the ones you don't want from the existing squad.

[Andy1979]

Save wages and get free transfers around November. I find players who wouldn't talk in the summer will talk then. Or will of dropped wage demands. It's how i get better players as a llm.