FM 2012

[Admiral Yi]

Exorbitant release clauses in contracts; but after some time that your youngster is being courted by Real&Barca and you're denying the transfer, he'll become upset.

L.

I must be missing some fundamental aspect of the fodbol youth system. 

Can't any team sign up a promising Basque kid?  Athletic doesn't have a monopoly on them, does it?

[Pedrito]

Exorbitant release clauses in contracts; but after some time that your youngster is being courted by Real&Barca and you're denying the transfer, he'll become upset.

L.

I must be missing some fundamental aspect of the fodbol youth system. 

Can't any team sign up a promising Basque kid?  Athletic doesn't have a monopoly on them, does it?

Every season start every team gets an influx of young players from the external world to the youth academies.
Usually these players are of the team's nationality, so only Bilbao and Osasuna will get basque (and spanish as first nationality) players; if there's some good prospect, it's better to make them sign a full time contract as soon as possible, instead of signing a youth contract.

L.

[Viking]

I thought the main issue with the irish is that as far as they are concerned Ulstermen qualify for all ROI teams (and political offices for that matter).

That could be an issue, but I just meant the old joke about the number of English-born players in the Irish team.  Though that may just have been when Charlton was managing

Ireland can produce it's own players now. Most of the Irish Clubs are now affiliated to some English Clubs and have much more professional coaching and mentoring.

It's a fascinating story..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/13518826

NI fans group call for change in Republic player ruling
Shane Ferguson celebrates scoring for Northern Ireland in the Milk Cup last year

A Northern Ireland fans group is appealing to Fifa to end what it calls the "football apartheid" in Ireland.

Fifa and the Court of Arbitration have ruled that NI-born players can opt for the Republic of Ireland.

The Amalgamation of NI Supporters' Clubs wants Fifa to have a re-think after Daniel Devine became the latest player to switch to the Republic.

It said the ruling gave the Republic an "unfair advantage" and accused the FAI of "poaching" players from N Ireland.

Fifa rules include a clause allowing players to change nationality once before they play a senior competitive match if they were born "on the territory of the relevant association".

The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 provided for Northern Ireland-born people to claim either British or Irish nationality.

Preston North End defender Devine has joined Darron Gibson, Shane Duffy, Marc Wilson, Daniel Kearns and Paul George in making the move to the Republic.

It is feared Newcastle United defender Shane Ferguson will be the next Northern Ireland youth player to switch to the Republic.

Amalgamation of NI Supporters' Clubs chairman Gary McAllister criticised the FAI in addressing the player drain to the Republic in an open letter in the Irish News.

"We believe this situation to be unique in world football, whereby one national association may select two jurisdictions worth of players," he said.

"Clearly this puts the Northern Ireland team at a disadvantage.

"For more than 50 years, the agreed and established practice of the two national football associations was always to select only those players with a territorial connection to either jurisdiction.

"It seems therefore that the FAI is using the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement as an excuse for breaking this longstanding policy.

"This FAI policy is driving a sectarian wedge between the two communities in Northern Ireland in regard to football.

"We are hugely proud to support a team that includes members of both traditions in Northern Ireland, and want to continue to do so.

"We want an end to Football Apartheid in Ireland."

The open letter comes ahead of Tuesday night's Carling Nations Cup game between Northern Ireland and the Republic in Dublin.

While I haven't heard of any of those players I'm sure NI still needs them.

[The Larch]

Exorbitant release clauses in contracts; but after some time that your youngster is being courted by Real&Barca and you're denying the transfer, he'll become upset.

L.

I must be missing some fundamental aspect of the fodbol youth system. 

Can't any team sign up a promising Basque kid?  Athletic doesn't have a monopoly on them, does it?

Do you mean in game terms or in real world terms?

In game terms you get a bunch of eligible 16 y.o. kids every summer for your youth squad, initially on amateur contracts, which you can later choose to sign to professional contracts. While they're amateurs they can be signed for free by other teams, but you get a court ordered fee anyway based on training rights. Once you sign them to a professional contract, which can top out at 5-6 year length or so, you can attach them outrageous release clauses on their contracts asking for a bajillion bucks in order to release them, so you can prevent poaching.

In the real world players have started to be poached from big clubs before they turn 16. As they can't sign professional contracts before that age, this is done through "family relocation" loopholes, in which clubs get one of the parents of the kid a bogus job offer which ends up with the kid joining the youth teams of the club. After they turn 16 and become professionals it's a signing as any other.

[Liep]

Just lost the qualifier for the euro league after winning 2-1 away against athletico madrid.. on the 10th round of penalties, my goalie missed. This game is heartbreaking.

[FunkMonk]

Penalties in this game are ridiculous. The last time I won the Champions League it went to the 11th round of penalties. 

[Warspite]

How the fuck do you defend in this game?

I've tried absolutely everything - two rock hard defensive mids sitting in front of defence; anchormen sitting in front of defence; ball winning mids sitting in the centre; cover/stopper combo; ball-playing defender with cover combo; high line, deep line, pressing, stand off, hard tackling, weak tackling etc etc, but with EVERY team I play the same thing happens: my defensive unit - almost to a man all equipped with high concentration, work rate, anticipation and position or tackling and marking - cannot win the ball back, whether through tackling or an interception, to save their lives.

As a result, the opposition win the ball, knock it forward, and start playing around the box until they score. My favourite is when a crunching tackle flies in that just sends the ball instantly to the opposition playmaker to make a killer pass.

What the hell is the secret to a workable defensive setup in FM 12?? What am I missing?

[katmai]

Stop playing Arsenal?



But seriously, my teams are usually in top five in least goals allowed, but i don't have a particular great back 4, it's because I have such attacking mentality and holding possession that the opposition doesn't have many chances.

[Viking]

The secret to defending well is to have the ball, be on the attack, demoralize the opposition and force it to have a deep defensive line. Sitting back and defending is just inviting long shots.

[Warspite]

Yes I know, but when I lose the ball, I am simply unable to win it back until a goal kick. The defensive mids stand their gawping while lazy attacking passes roll past them. The defenders happily show the attacker inside rather than actually trying to win the ball back.

In fact I don't really have the pacy defenders to play a very high line, nor have my teams the creative talent to unlock compressed defenses. I am forced to play with a middlingly high line. If I play counter attack, see first para.

[Viking]

Yes I know, but when I lose the ball, I am simply unable to win it back until a goal kick. The defensive mids stand their gawping while lazy attacking passes roll past them. The defenders happily show the attacker inside rather than actually trying to win the ball back.

In fact I don't really have the pacy defenders to play a very high line, nor have my teams the creative talent to unlock compressed defenses. I am forced to play with a middlingly high line. If I play counter attack, see first para.

So you have a crap players and your team loses to teams with more quality? I'm not really surprised.

[katmai]

Won promotion

Currently on a 21-6-1 tear with two games to go and up by 3 pts so close to winning league and my best striker leads the league in Goals and Assists.

2nd year in championship and just beat Chelsea in League Cup for first win over EPL team.

[Pedrito]

Won promotion

Currently on a 21-6-1 tear with two games to go and up by 3 pts so close to winning league and my best striker leads the league in Goals and Assists.

2nd year in championship and just beat Chelsea in League Cup for first win over EPL team.

Take that Tamas! *shakes fist*

L.

[Liep]

I wish there was a proper STFU option when talking to players.

[Josephus]

I wish there was a proper STFU option when talking to players.

This.


Is it just me or are players whiney all the time. I got some 19 year old kid whom I think has a future so I have him on the squad to play every now and then. But the kid's all "I want to get more starting roles on the first team or trade me now".

And back up goalkeepers! STFU already. You're a backup. If my goalie dies, I'll play you. Otherwise. STFU.