New users

33 new teams in the RFA so far this season (2 weeks in). Over double more than we had at this stage last month.

We have been advised that a slow trickle of teams will become apparent over the next few months. If this is the start then this will have the knock-on effect of kick-starting the transfer market too- as long as teams are realistic in the WA's in the next 2 seasons.

I just hope this isn't, well... false hope.

Player -v- Environment

FML really needs it.... and soon..... ie: for 1.8.

Be it:

•   International teams (I like Jak's idea)
•   Making the CPU clubs more relevant by them having 'real names' and competitions within the game against them.... not the colourless challenges we have now.
•  A point to earning RP's (at the moment they must be a huge embarassment to SI, and they are so under utilised I suspect they wish they hadn't implemented them)
•  Inter GW cups (top teams/managers(LC and CC winners from each GW), same player pools to select from, best verses the best, play each other twice over 2 weeks....
•  many more... but I only have 5 mins!

Thats it really..... when teams are losing they need something else to concentrate on within the game.... retention is already an issue. Give it a bit of a helping hand.

Is Day-Trading more Dead than Mr Dead of Deadtown?

Consternation on forums and Live, bemoaning the death of the game. RIP transfers, death to finances, burn all the wages witches at the stake, woe is us and all that sail in us.

Hmmm… really? Well, so far, it seems a lot of those that dislike the new structure are managers that manipulated the old structure- as noted in the last post.

Is it the end of trading, though? I don’t think so. I know a lot of managers got a kick out of billions of trades and sales. I respect that. The problem was that that it seemed to be based on a set formular:

Find young player + good PA + bid accepted by gullible manager = profit in a few weeks.
(I’ll admit that I may have been that gullible manager before now)

There is a skill in it, I don't deny. I have seen the catalogues of purchases and sales of some managers and behold their greatness in the transfer market. But does it make sense?

Applying the much hated (especially when it disproves point of view) real life comparison: it was like buying Jack Wilshire, CRon7, Connor Wickham, Andy Carroll, & Chris Smalling…. Playing them in the odd game or 2 and, regardless of performances, selling them a season later to some sucker for a 50% increase on the price... just because there was a label on their head saying 'might be good in a season or few'.

As enjoyable as that may have been, it was too easy- value should only increase through good performances. Now we have the value tab (which, whilst helpfulish, still feels relatively unexplained) giving a guide, wages reflecting rep and dynamic Transfer Values….. so:

- If the players bought play well they increase in transfer value but their wage demand increase (realistic, but the day traders hate it because their plan to sell the world to itself has a barrier of increased wages)

- If purchased players play poorly, or little, they may have a reduction in Wage Demand, but *SHOCK* *HORROR*, their Rep/Transfer Value may decrease too….. meaning the sell on value is also lessened…..Agggghhhh… no profit for the Day Trader!! In fact, the carnal sin of (more shock horror)…(£LOSS!!!)

Does this mean trading is killed? I suggest not. I don’t want to come over all rose tinted (and accept it doesn’t seem fully tested so am prepared to be found wrong) but maybe this means managers will actually buy players they want to play in their side more, rather than MAINLY buying for the profit they ultimately get.

So, it isn’t impossible for it to work, but now managers have to choose the right players…. Perhaps ones with low Ave Ratings for the old manager, get them working, get the TV increased and then sell for a profit? But, unless they buy them very young, they will need to give them FA games…. And I think that is what annoys many of the day traders. They don’t actually want the players, just the profit.

In short…. The managers who can spot potential, can trade well & can get performances out of players will still excel. The charlatans will suffer…… Oh well.........

Moans about transfers.... during wage auctions

Several moans on Live and the forums about how the 'new' system is killing transfers (better performances = higher wage = paying for the performances you get)

I do feel a lot of the moaning is self serving rubbish. Many of those whining come from 3 categories:

• 1) Managers that had VERY young squads with low wages and high performances ...poor dears now having to pay the going rate for the players and their performances

• 2) Managers that had paid over the odds on wages already.... and its clear there were loads of them (the amount of mail comments on £50k WA bids on awful average players were a-plenty)... it was made very clear since reset and in blogs that wages would increase (Clearly it didn't work after reset as it should have, but it was well documented)

• 3) FML managers that traded their eway to the top (or tried to) and now see the TV's are showing this to be a more difficult route (but still there are plenty that not only ask for £4mil on a 25 year old AMC, with a TV of £3mil, but a sell on % as well.... the audacity!)... Whooops.... not as easy to dupe managers.... now only the best salespeople will be able to continue with that angle on the game.

Added in to the above reasons Wage Auction time has always been slow on transfers and fast on bargain hunting.

I'm not necessarily saying that the new system hasn't affected the volume of transfers (it was always going to slow things down as it bedded in), or that it won't continue to be a bit slower as the 'traders' are more obviously trying to sell over the going rate, but that it's too early to conclude the Transfer Market is dead.

So, for me, the pricing system can be painful, but will take time to bed in with managers needing to reacclimatise with the fact they have less to spend first. This, I hope, will reduce the wages being paid in general and wages reducing over the next few months.....

One final annoyance on the moans. If you don't like the prices or wages of prospective purchases... don't bloody buy them. Equally, if you can't sell players... have you considered they are either gash, or you are asking for too much... just a thought....

There..... I am cleansed.