OLD Players!

S

santa2

Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
69
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Guys I've recently got the 2012 game and have messed about with it, while I'm waiting for the final update. I haven't played it for many years really, since '05- so its changed alot!



For you more experienced players I have a question about older players;

-I remember that old editions used to be pretty biased against older players. The first season they'd be ok, but decline pretty rapidly, and it would be very rare to then see other players grow into good old players, especially at big clubs. In real life there's many examples of players who have been 35,36,37,38 - and in the case of the likes of Giggs, Zanetti and V.Der Sar even older. It seems this may have been taken into account a bit more (with the natural fitness and professionalism stats) these days- but is it still pretty severe?

-I've downloaded a few future saved games and compared ratio of older players with the beginning of the game and their CA and it still seems quite bad . But the games are before the 12.1 update, so I'm hoping it was due to the severe injury bug. It's something that really used to gripe me and I just need to be prepared for it (I remember being Arsenal on CM2 for example, with the back 4 declining badly or AC Milan golden oldies having to be shipped out, when in real life they had many years left). Not many notice as much as there's always that bias to youth and building for the future, but often neglected against old players and a bit unrealistic IMO. Say you're AC Milan, on the game do most the players decline after the first season a lot? In reality they won't as much IMO -Clarence Seedorf's physical tests haven't changed in 5 years, but on the saves I checked he lost 25% of his CA in 1 year for example (in fairness Milan are maybe more of an outlier as their whole training and sports science research is set up to prolong older players and their careers)

-Also even though they may decline in stats - can they still be perform ok? E.g. they have decent PPMs, Mental/Hidden and so can perform for top teams still. And are there any tips in how you guys look after your older payers?

P.S. I'm not against youth etc. It's just I don't like buying the best youngsters and just winning everything, but like to pretend (in my head,lol) that a good balance is important and have a good variety of ages like the likes of Ferguson has at Man Utd & the way he uses them)
 
Last edited:
Unless I'm playing lower league management and grab them on a free, I've never signed any player over 29 for cash.
 
In the past, every old player I signed for his mental and technical stats were failures, but in my Torino game I signed Seedorf and he's performed well in game, enough to earn being first pick.

And from FM11, in FM12 too, if you set a good training regime, heavy in the physical you can keep their shape well. In this season, for example, Seedorf has only lost one single point in physical stats (strength from 12 to 11) though during the holidays he dropped one in pace and jumping. And with some 33+ years old players I've even managed to improve them.
 
I've found this, but still have Srna and Parker playing at 34 and 35 respectively, with Srna averaging a 7.6 over his 20 league games and parker 7.13 over his 23, so it's certainly possible for players to play a bit longer. But they both also start the game fairly old, which may well be a factor
 
Having a look at some of those future saves, it seems the only players plus 35 who still had half decent CA were GKs. There was the odd defender and CR7 on one. It seems you need a high PA, i.e. Casillas or Ronaldo levels to still then be ok at that level.
Interestingly, the best at that age and above all had high; nat fitness, professionalism, ambition & it seems determination aswell. When I mean high, I mean 17+ in 3 of the categories usually, and 13+ in the other one.

Really natural fitness should decline as they get older, i.e. they need more time to recover between games, but because it's used for longevity aswell, it makes it hard for this one attribute to do both a justice.
 
On my save, Mario Gotze is 34 years old playing for Manchester City.

Having played in every game in the league (only 1 or 2 in the cup/europe), he still went on to come in the top 3 for the Ballon d'Or.
 
I think the key to keeping old players is to accept that they will lose some of their physical attributes eventually, perhaps faster than in real life, but if you've got a winger or fullback whose game is all about pace, he's unlikely to be a good player over 33-34. For example, I can't see Gabby Agbonlahor being a very good player over 35.

However, technical and mental stats often keep improving, so if you can put those older players in a less taxing role they can excel in other areas of the pitch, kind of like what Ferguson has done by moving Giggs into a deep midfield role.
 
In my experience, professionalism and determination of the player are key factors, and of course natural fitness needs to be at a decent level. Another thing I look for, is his smartness/understanding of the game. Depending on the position, he is often able to alter style of play as f.ex. strength, speed or stamina declines, if he's a genious on the pitch ;-) (RL-ex: Giggs)

If you don't have a world class ***. manager and coaches, you have to monitor the development realy closely, though. Altering the training schedule and PPMs at the right time, could be the key.
 
Although i have not kept any players over 34 in any of my teams i have just checked my current save & noticed that Manuel Neuer is still first choice keeper at FC Bayern at the age of 41. Might be worth checking out how long my current veterans can go on for instead of selling them on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

FMBase

Beta

Resources

Top