Chat What do you do with your B squad players?

[zxLv]

This is a fairly straightforward question. When managing a club with plenty of youngsters from its B or reserve team (especially clubs in the Spanish League), what do you do with all these young players? Do you take the time and assess each player one by one before deciding who will get promoted to the first team or who will stay in the B team until he retires or his contract runs out? Do you selectively loan them out and actively follow their progress/development?

 

I am currently managing Real Madrid and the number of squad players in their Castilla team is giving me a headache. I haven't even heard most of their names before. Every now and then I would receive dozens of mails asking me to renew their contracts and every start of a new season I would always feel obliged to loan these young players for fear of halting their development if they don't get enough playing time in Castilla. I reckon that their salaries are also paid from our wage budget, yes? And what do you think is the ideal number of squad players that we should have in the senior as well as in the reserve team?

Edited May 26, 2016 by zxLv

[M4cc4n4]

20 minutes ago, zxLv said:

This is a fairly straightforward question. When managing a club with plenty of youngsters from its B or reserve team (especially clubs in the Spanish League), what do you do with all these young players? Do you take the time and assess each player one by one before deciding who will get promoted to the first team or who will stay in the B team until he retires or his contract runs out? Do you selectively loan them out and actively follow their progress/development?

 

I am currently managing Real Madrid and the number of squad players in their Castilla team is giving me a headache. I haven't even heard most of their names before. Every now and then I would receive dozens of mails asking me to renew their contracts and every start of a new season I would always feel obliged to loan these young players for fear of halting their development if they don't get enough playing time in Castilla. I reckon that their salaries are also paid from our wage budget, yes? And what do you think is the ideal number of squad players that we should have in the senior as well as in the reserve team?

• Their Wages are payed out of your Budget 

• It is Real's Reserve or B Team, You only see them play as they play in the same league system as the main team

I couldn't tell you an ideal, But Castilla is an integral part of Real's Youth Academy in Real life and it's the final Step before the Senior Squad.

 

I'd say Atleast 25 in Senior to Maintain Depth 

 

Use the Reserve team primarily for Development - it's a gift if you can't loan a player out 

[Joewins]

My experience of B teams is that they are incredibly beneficial to have. With a team like Real the key is how much time are you willing spend assessing the squad, if its lots then you can utilize it to benefit your 1^st team immensely. This is how I use a B team.

 

1.       There is always an obscure number of youth players in your 1^st team when starting a game, I search by age and demote anyone under 19 that I don’t intend to have in a squad of 22 (I have one back up per position, no more no less). I see 19 as the development cut off point – if they’re 19 or over and their stats are rubbish they’re straight on the transfer list and offered out at around half their value.

2.       I assess the players in the B team, anyone under 19 I check to see if they are worth promoting (to be in my 22), if not I leave them to develop in the B team. Anyone over 19 I check to see if they are worth promoting to be in my squad of 22 and if not I move on to…

3.       I have found that I get more responses on transfer listed players if they are in my A team, so those over 19 who won’t make my 22 I promote, transfer list and offer out for half their value. With a team like Real you’ll have some expensive players in this category, if you spend time offering these players out at half their value then continuously less on a few days basis as you come towards the transfer deadline you can make some serious cash and free up wages. I tend not to negotiate when I do get offers (unless they are stupidly low) and just accept them – to me this is like free money as I wouldn’t have used the players otherwise and if you lose the offer you might not get another.

4.       Anyone left after deadline day I demote back to the B team.

5.       Repeat on a yearly basis.

o   Note: occasionally I might make an exception on the 19 rule – I tend to loan these players out rather than leave them in the B team as normally they will be a standard where they can get top league experience but aren’t ready for my 1^st team.

 

I don’t really care how the B team does so if they end up bottom of the league after being “asset stripped” I don’t change my method.