What's the point of B teams?

[Vali184]

As the title says, what's the point of them if they don't play in any competition? You can't use it to develop players. It's pointless.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Vali184

[Brodie21]

They're useful to give players match time who aren't currently getting into your 1st team. Also good for out of form players or players just back from injury to get some confidence back at a lower level. I love them & use them all season

[Vali184]

24 minutes ago, Brodie21 said:

They're useful to give players match time who aren't currently getting into your 1st team. Also good for out of form players or players just back from injury to get some confidence back at a lower level. I love them & use them all season

But they don't play in any competition. The B team doesn't have ANY scheduled matches. So what's their point? I can schedule a friendly at any time to raise fitness levels. 

[tropicsafc]

They do play games, but they're 'under the hood'. If you go to the stats of one of your B team players then you'll see stats accumulating. B teams in their current state are a bit crap and I'd love to see some improvement made to it.

[rusty217]

They're just like mosquitoes. They exist solely to be vile disgusting monstrosities that deserve to be exterminated!

 

Serious answer: Even if they're in a non-playable league they should still technically be playing games and developing players, even if you can't see that happening. Plus depending on the country you're in they might have the potential to eventually get promoted into a playable league.

[renato.]

That's why I always try to have the league that the B team is playing active. Like Werder Bremen, I guess in FM they have a B and a C team on the german pyramid. They always end up being selected to play for the B and C team even when they are on the U18 team.

And in the end I find it nice for the narrative. When I promote a youth player, he will be promoted after playing in all the ranks, from U18 to C to B to the main squad, playing in Bundesliga, in european competitions to break records...

Edited November 9, 2023 by renato.

[Prej]

I like having a B team, even if it's not playing in competitions.

It's a good way to keep backup players fit without interfering in first or youth team schedules.

[bielsadidnothingwrong]

Just schedule friendlies for them if you must

[wearesporting]

B team doesn't have any nasty poor form holdups on development either.

[numbas2]

Not sure if you have the same options but for my L2 team the U21 squad have no competition. 
 

Despite setting the reserve manager to schedule friendlies every week he doesn’t bother. So I have to, to maintain squad player fitness. It’s annoying setting four friendlies at a time with “multiple friendlies”. And then forgetting. And the remembering. Etc. 

[FrazT]

In my save, the B team play in a non-active league so there are no fixtures showing in the list but they do play league games in the background and the stats show in their season history.  I always try to keep the squad very lean in terms of numbers and have a major clearout at the end of every season when the older under 18 need to be promoted.

[Fraser]

In My Gladbach save on FM23 the B team didn't play games but I scheduled a friendly every week (I did the scheduling once every 3 months or so and against other local teams). 

What is handy with the friendly approach is if you want to use them to get fringe 1st teamers or players returning from injury to get match fit, then you can - and you can schedule away from the 1st team fixtures so they can be on the bench (I usually had them on a Wednesday or a Thursday).

The B team did eventually get promoted in to the 3Liga, so I lost some flexibility, but my younger players developed in a better standard of league.

On a side note - I've managed B teams in Spain and they are very different saves.  It can be good fun but you lose a lot of control with the squad composition.

[Brodie21]

On 09/11/2023 at 12:01, Vali184 said:

But they don't play in any competition. The B team doesn't have ANY scheduled matches. So what's their point? I can schedule a friendly at any time to raise fitness levels. 

Indeed you can. I think I like them because rather than having my youngsters all among the 1st team squad, I can keep them neatly in the B team & then just make any players from my 'A' team i'd like, available for scheduled friendlies. You can ask your assistant to arrange a friendly any week there isn't a scheduled match for the B team (which will be every week), to avoid you having to bother or forget, Alternatively, add the odd friendly if you fancy choosing a weak opposition to gain confidence or give an out-of-form striker chance to net a few