Subject: Step 2

okay, I have used Robnobs guide, set up my coaches, opened up 6 youth slots and had a fiddle with the tactics interface.

I am now training stamina while I sort out what to do, what to train and buy trainees.

I have had a quick look at my squad, and obviously, it's not that good just yet. I do however have two players that stand out to me... What should I do with these two players?

Dennis Streeter, age 29
value: 54 750 £
wage: 660 £
incredible form

hopeless stamina good keeper
good pace tragic defender
hopeless technique unsatisfactory playmaker
average passing poor striker

and

Lawrence Heggadon, age 19
value: 50 100 £
wage: 690 £
excellent form

average stamina hopeless keeper
unsatisfactory pace unsatisfactory defender
solid technique solid playmaker
unsatisfactory passing solid striker

Also,

Are there any training schedules that are particularly good for newbies? What sort of trainees should I look for?

Thanks for any help

Streeter probably will make a nice keeper for you for a couple of seasons - not worth much on the market so keep him

Heggadon may become a nice striker in time - you could sell or train.

A good place to start after stamina is pace. You can train all players and improve the squad whilst getting your trainees started. After that you can move to skills specific to what you want to train. In addition to pace they need these skills:

defenders = defence
strikers = tech and striker
mids = passing, pm, tech and maybe defence too
keepers = keeping

It can be seen that defenders might be trained in both primary skills quite quickly compared to mids who have 4 or even 5. It's personal preference though, I might recommend defenders but I did mids and don't regret the slower start

in terms of what a trainee needs the skills listed above are your guide

for an attacker only tech, pace and striker are important. I wouldn't worry about side skills for them, but for a defender try not to have the side skills of passing, tech and pm at tragic even if you will never train them. They do use these skills and it will affect the final selling price if they have rockbottom side skills

Okay, I think I will start on defenders. Thank you.

Am I right in thinking that training isn't entirely dependent on the players position, but to do with their match orders? So A centre mid with DEF selected will get the same training as a centre back with DEF.

I guess the limit is 5 DEF players per game?

Thanks for that tip, i'll try and get at least a little passing tech and pm on the players.

You can play them where ever you like - it is only the DEF order that counts for defender training. Of course it affects how they play a bit. You can train defending on MIDS instead without any penalty if you're going to end up with many players out of position

the limit is indeed 5 DEF or MIDs.

Cool. Been a massive help.... does this look okay for trainee search options?


max age: 18
Stamina at least unsatisfactory
Stamina at most average
Pace at least unsatisfactory
Pace at most average
Technique at least unsatisfactory
Technique at most average
Passing at least unsatisfactory
Passing at most average
Keeper at most unsatisfactory
Defender at least average
Defender at most adequate
Playmaker at least poor
Playmaker at most average
Striker at least tragic
Striker at most weak

I will do a few weeks stam and pace, and can return later... should I set tech PM and Pass slightly higher? Or have 5 like above and 5 slightly better?

I think this is my last question ;) (for now)

well you need several probably so they might have to look like this. Compromises might be necessary

stamina any keeper any
pace adequate defence adequate
tech poor pm poor
passing poor striker whatever

don't worry about striker - tragic is fine on a defender

stamina you will probably return to over the first few seasons - off season weeks perhaps, so I wouldn't worry about that much either

no point blitzing stamina too much early on. You will likely have a turnover of players in the first few seasons and will need to come back to it

Vancian makes a really good point, I trained Pace after stamina and it really helps your side as a whole improve.

If I were to choose a position to train from the start, I feel strikers are good for new teams as you need just 6 trainees compared to other positions....which is easier for the purse strings. ;)

I still have 1 of my originals trainees I bought as a 16 yr old. Hes 23 now. Remember if you can long term training is more of a benefit in this game than short term.

You could train stamina, pace, then technique as you can still train 10 players doing this.....eventually striking.

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Vancian and wdp74 both make good points, but as someone who has fairly recently been in the newbie position, my advice to you is to train the absolute minimum amount of stamina so that your team can compete for 90 minutes - I think you can get away with just average/adeqate stamina in Div IV.

There are two main reasons:
1) (as mentioned by Vancian) You'll probably be selling half of your players by the end of the season - stamina doesn't add much to the sale price
2) With the level of coaches you can afford, stamina training won't show the talented or untalented players early doors.

For the reasons below I'd definitely go for Pace training:
1) Most importantly, you can gauge all of your player's talent over the course of a season at a time when all you can afford is unproven youths - this way you'll spot the ones to hang on to.
2) imho, at the bottom end it improves your team's overall performance more quickly than training any other skill.
3) With a bit of luck you'll be producing mostly saleable players come the end of next season - so talented or not, you should make a few quid to reinvest.

My last pice of advice is to try and stick to your training plan (whatever you go for) - It can be slow going, but 3 of my current first eleven were in my squad the day I started SK, another 5 were bought in during the first 4 weeks.
(edited)

All good advice. ;)