LuckyStrike
Youth Team
What kind of strategy do you use when building your Master League team?
First off, I use the real team, not the default Master League team. Why? Well while I do enjoy building a team from scratch, I also love having the full tradition and heritage of Ajax behind me when I start my team. This means that I can take the players developed in the young Ajax system and use them for years to come.
Secondly I try to manage my roster in the same way that the real Ajax manages their roster. This means that there a certain difficulties and limitations that have to be accepted and overcome with each and every transfer :
The Good
- Ajax has a long and successful tradition of finding the best and brightest Dutch youth footballers. Their skills are refined and improved while playing for Ajax. They bring an exciting buzz to the ArenA. So while playing Winning 11 I do my best to find the best young Dutch talent and get them into a Ajax shirt so that their development can begin.
- Ajax is a major draw for players who currently play in countries outside of the major football countries. Ajax draws in quality players from Eastern Europe and North Africa. Additionally there are players from Sweden, Norway and Finland who look to Amsterdam for fame and fortune. I search these players out and sign them to my squad.
- What goes up must come down. This means that as a manager I look for players who were once superstars and now are looking for a home. Sure these guys may be on the down sides of their careers but there is nothing like finding that once great player who can anchor my middle field down the stretch. I look for players who have exceptional teamwork skills. These guys provide leadership both on and off the pitch.
The Bad
- Sure I have a great youth system but these guys aren't staying around forever. Around the age of 25-26 they want to spread their wings and fly off to a top flight team like Real Madrid, Bayern or AC Milan. I make it a point to move these players once they start hitting their peak. Why move them when I could easily resign them? Unfortunately that's the way it goes for Ajax these days. We're no Chelsea and honestly I like playing this way better anyway. For me, playing with a team of allstars is boring and lacks challenge.
-My older players don't have the most talent and can suffer serious dropoffs from one season to the next. Their signings can be huge gambles.
Playing this way can lead to huge balances in the bank. Simply put, I can achieve huge success on the cheap. This leaves me with tons of points just sitting around doing nothing. Yes it can be tempting when that 5 star striker is available and you have more than enough money to sign him but I enjoy sticking to my strategy anyway.
Does anyone else play in a similar manner? Feel free to share your ML strategy.
First off, I use the real team, not the default Master League team. Why? Well while I do enjoy building a team from scratch, I also love having the full tradition and heritage of Ajax behind me when I start my team. This means that I can take the players developed in the young Ajax system and use them for years to come.
Secondly I try to manage my roster in the same way that the real Ajax manages their roster. This means that there a certain difficulties and limitations that have to be accepted and overcome with each and every transfer :
The Good
- Ajax has a long and successful tradition of finding the best and brightest Dutch youth footballers. Their skills are refined and improved while playing for Ajax. They bring an exciting buzz to the ArenA. So while playing Winning 11 I do my best to find the best young Dutch talent and get them into a Ajax shirt so that their development can begin.
- Ajax is a major draw for players who currently play in countries outside of the major football countries. Ajax draws in quality players from Eastern Europe and North Africa. Additionally there are players from Sweden, Norway and Finland who look to Amsterdam for fame and fortune. I search these players out and sign them to my squad.
- What goes up must come down. This means that as a manager I look for players who were once superstars and now are looking for a home. Sure these guys may be on the down sides of their careers but there is nothing like finding that once great player who can anchor my middle field down the stretch. I look for players who have exceptional teamwork skills. These guys provide leadership both on and off the pitch.
The Bad
- Sure I have a great youth system but these guys aren't staying around forever. Around the age of 25-26 they want to spread their wings and fly off to a top flight team like Real Madrid, Bayern or AC Milan. I make it a point to move these players once they start hitting their peak. Why move them when I could easily resign them? Unfortunately that's the way it goes for Ajax these days. We're no Chelsea and honestly I like playing this way better anyway. For me, playing with a team of allstars is boring and lacks challenge.
-My older players don't have the most talent and can suffer serious dropoffs from one season to the next. Their signings can be huge gambles.
Playing this way can lead to huge balances in the bank. Simply put, I can achieve huge success on the cheap. This leaves me with tons of points just sitting around doing nothing. Yes it can be tempting when that 5 star striker is available and you have more than enough money to sign him but I enjoy sticking to my strategy anyway.
Does anyone else play in a similar manner? Feel free to share your ML strategy.
... I think I too will be letting off some players who have a lot of talent once they reach near their peak. Ifil is supposed to get to the 90 line but he's quite far from it right now. Basically I try to get players that I also like in real life. I will probably sign Beckham in maybe a season just so I could have him on my team before he retires. Davids I simply love, he's one of my favorite midfielders and I'll keep him in the squad till he retires. Also, I've put Robinson as the second goalie as Cerny does a lot better even though he's older and his stats are way lower.
, I feel 5000 is unrealistically small