dgghrt

wow. Can I see your HOYD? Any tips as I've been a top half premier league team for like five years but the quality of intakes isn't of the level to break into top 4 contention.

Damn! I thought you were finally turning a corner. I'm no expert at this but some advice on keeping players. 1) Long contracts (Optional club extension to add extra three years.), renew them once they go under three years. Don't give them new contracts until you're able to activate the extention. 2). No release clauses (as much as possible), remove and exclude them if possible, if they're locked in negotiate to the highest possible fee and put expiry dates on them. 3) Before players reach their prime and start becoming influential is when you time them down for their peak years. Loan them out till 19 even if they're good enough to play for you so don't become too influential too early, that way they still respect you and listen to you in negotiations. (I've had players sack their agents because they try to lock in release clauses and I've refused such contracts.) 4) Your B-tier players are your stars. A-tier players usually leave sooner or later, I try to focus on 4-4.5 star players with really good personalities and try to get a good bunch of them around the same age to develop together and be the core of my team. 5) I build my teams in generations and plan for the future. Take a three year age range and try to build an entire squad from that with your high potential youngsters. Say 15-18 for example, plug holes by retraining positions if you have two players in the same position. I focus on heavily on the entire squads development and bring them in once they turn 19/20. Even if they're replacing a four star player, If they have potential to be better than him and his too far from that generation he's out. I found this way we take leaps every 5 years or so to next level of talent as a squad. You're intakes are already so amazing, the potential is there for a premier league squad. You just have to tap it and keep them. Keep pushing, I'm rooting for you. Hope this helps. I'm usually a lurker and never post but your resilience is so inspiring. I'm Hitchin town in 2064. We're a mid table premier league side trying to break into Europe hopefully in the next few years.