Squad Dynamics: Fix Unprofessionalism and Low Work Rate

What This Guide Will Teach You

Ever wanted an excuse to get rid of all your players to make room for South American wonderkids find your dynamics in your team report, and it is all D or F? This guide will solve just that! Or at least make it less bad as you attempt to solve it long term.

 

Results You Can Expect: Short Term and Long Term

Short term means without a transfer window, or if a squad is so poor that risking the dynamics for good players is worth it

Credits to @somewhat anonymous#8042 for the Monmouth photos and the inspiration to make this guide

 

Longer term with a few seasons to move on disruptive players, your results can look like this

 

How Squad Influence Is Determined

Before we get to the 4 steps, it is very important to understand how the squad influence in the relationship tab works.

A player's influence on squad professionalism and work rate is not merely just his own hidden attributes

Squad influence is a combination of hidden attributes and the hierarchy status of the player. So Pertica while professional, is not influential enough to change any dynamic.

Players with extreme hidden attributes (e.g. very professional or very unprofessional) can still influence squads with "Other" hierarchy. And you should take particular note these players.

You also now know why seemingly neutral players suddenly turn into huge negative squad influences.

 

Ways To Improve Squad Dynamics

Now we get to the 4 steps

1. Appoint the right captain and vice captain

Never appoint a player with low professionalism or work rate as captain or vice captain.

No matter how high the leadership, raising a player like that to influential or team leader will destroy the squad dynamic. The above Monmouth example was due to a poor captain appointment.

The right appointment for captain can be more of an art (since players can disapprove for many reasons), but vice captain is a free power-up slot.

Hurst has been my vice captain since 17-18 years old. The clue was that he always had a small positive influence with Other hierarchy, so I elevated him to vice captain kicking his influence into overdrive.

 

2. Reduce the squad status of disruptive players

It might seem odd to offer players new contacts for being unprofessional or not hard working, but if they are marked as first team or GOD FORBID key player you will need to.

Players with a low squad status are easier to manage

Schieskow isn't naturally unprofessional. But when wanting a new challenge, as a team leader he pulled professionalism, morale and loyalty to F.

I banished him to the reserves for 2 games, and his hierarchy fell to Other and stayed that way for 6 months because his squad status is only Rotation.

 

3. Criticise player for poor training or poor match performances

Not much to expand on here. You can criticise or fine players for match ratings of 5 or below. I check training once in a while for a criticise too. Just make sure not to criticise in quick succession, because players will feel like you are picking on them.

This can sometimes raise Professionalism, Work Rate, Determination or Pressure Handling. Some player are almost always receptive, some are never.

 

4. Move disruptive players on from the club

That's right, this is a football club not a childcare. I do eventually move on even the talented players.

Of course there are always exceptions. Once your club has built up a core of players with good personalities, you can start to hold crazy good players with not so perfect hidden attributes

You will also have more capacity to bring in younger players who are more of a project. Who knows? They might even stop being unprofessional and low work rate, through mentoring or passively.

[MatiasDFS]

really useful, your guides are always 10/10, thanks 😁

[Scratch]

Great stuff! I do all of that stuff and it's critical in this year's game. Everything you've included is essential - love it!!

I'd also add a few more points to that though - you've mentioned most in passing, but I'd call them out as distinct points.

As well as getting rid of the disruptive players, when I buy players I look for all the signs that they will be a positive influence (personality or scout report mentioning professionalism, high team work meaning high work rate, leadership to help influence others etc) - basically spend extra time making sure you are bringing in the right players. Sure if a player fits perfectly apart from this, I still buy them (sometimes), but I sometimes buy players that aren't quite as good as the best candidate because they will be a better fit culture-wise.

Then, with the players who are a positive influence, I set them to mentoring as many players as possible. Works especially well for players who have a higher reputation than the team. For eg, getting someone like Giroud in at a mid-level team in season 2, even if he's not much use on the playing side, can work wonders as he often passes on his full professionalism, or work rate, or determination etc (only 1 at a time of course). 

And as well as reducing the squad status of disruptive players, I increase the squad status of players who are a positive influence. Got someone who is a squad player who has dull green influence on the relationship page? Make them first team or even key player and watch that turn bright green! Depends on the player's reputation vs the club of course. At a top club Morton Thorsby may never be a bright green positive influence as he's not good enough for that level. At some mid-level clubs he will be bright green the moment he walks through the door. But in one of my careers, he was in the middle - dull green influence - so I increased him from squad player to key player and they turned bright green instantly.

Sorry, I'm going on a bit! But I love this topic!

Great guide as always and massive respect for taking the time to teach people about this.

[Meow]

Thanks for adding to the guide! Really appreciate it 😊

Consider This Guide Part 2 If You Scrolled Down

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

As well as getting rid of the disruptive players, when I buy players I look for all the signs that they will be a positive influence

This was a little more implicit in my posts, but yes bringing in only players with positive influence is a good way to fix the dressing room.

Then again, I'd almost class it as a Freudian slip on my part to leave out the buying players with good influence. I buy everyone I think could make it, then ruthlessly move them on in a year or two.

 

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

Then, with the players who are a positive influence, I set them to mentoring as many players as possible.

I might add this one into the guide proper. I actually left it out because I felt that a situation with a poor squad where squad dynamics are dire enough won't have the kinds of players to be mentoring.

And on the flip side with a good squad, I've not really had much success with mentoring. Is mentoring affected by how influential a mentor is in the squad?

 

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

I increase the squad status of players who are a positive influence. Got someone who is a squad player who has dull green influence on the relationship page? Make them first team or even key player and watch that turn bright green!

This is definitely something that could work, but maybe it says more about me that I wouldn't do it.

Players that are naturally professional are a good influence, but can turn into a massive disruptive influence if they decide for example want a new challenge.

Having a player's influence be inherent in their squad status is harder to control, so it's a little of a double edged sword

[eternalaurora]

54 minutes ago, Meow said:

Players that are naturally professional are a good influence, but can turn into a massive disruptive influence if they decide for example want a new challenge.

Are you sure the player really is professional? Scout/coach/training report will report good professionalism once it reaches 15, but for good influence you need a 16. That could be the case.

As for mentoring, unselfish leaders seem to be the best mentors. All my CBs are graduates of Hasebe Academy, and almost all of them were better players than Hasebe when the mentorship started.

Edited June 17, 2022 by eternalaurora

[Meow]

26 minutes ago, eternalaurora said:

Are you sure the player really is professional? Scout/coach/training report will report good professionalism once it reaches 15, but for good influence you need a 16. That could be the case

Yes, 100% sure he is professional. Instantly when a new contract was signed he was back to positive influence.

Edited June 17, 2022 by Meow

[eternalaurora]

11 hours ago, Meow said:

Yes, 100% sure he is professional. Instantly when a new contract was signed he was back to positive influence.

Interesting. I'll keep that in mind. 

If your mentorship is failing, a trick is to loan one of them out. When one of them leaves the club, the mentorship will be treated as a success even if it's falling apart.

[Superking]

This is what I wanted to know about squad dynamics.. thanks for help

[eternalaurora]

On 16/06/2022 at 22:26, Scratch said:

Then, with the players who are a positive influence, I set them to mentoring as many players as possible. Works especially well for players who have a higher reputation than the team. For eg, getting someone like Giroud in at a mid-level team in season 2, even if he's not much use on the playing side, can work wonders as he often passes on his full professionalism, or work rate, or determination etc (only 1 at a time of course). 

Maybe we can try to make a list of good mentors. 

[DanEnglish]

11 hours ago, eternalaurora said:

Maybe we can try to make a list of good mentors. 

That would be a nice idea. May be best to find a couple for each popular team.

• Man City = Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, even Rodri.
• Liverpool = Henderson, Milner, Salah, Robertson, Van Dijk, Trent AA
• Chelsea = Axpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, plus Mount (when he's old enough)
• Man Utd = McTominay, Bruno Fernandes 

Spoiler

Man City:

Liverpool: 

Chelsea:

Man Utd:

 

 

Edited June 20, 2022 by DanEnglish

[eternalaurora]

4 hours ago, DanEnglish said:

That would be a nice idea. May be best to find a couple for each popular team.

• Man City = Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, even Rodri.
• Liverpool = Henderson, Milner, Salah, Robertson, Van Dijk, Trent AA
• Chelsea = Axpilicueta, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, plus Mount (when he's old enough)
• Man Utd = McTominay, Bruno Fernandes 

  Reveal hidden contents

Man City:

Liverpool: 

Chelsea:

Man Utd:

 

 

There's also Dias who's Strict Leader. One potential concern for players like VVD and Salah is they are ambitious but not very loyal, so if you buy a player of such quality, he will cast F level influence on the squad loyalty for at least 2 seasons. They are C level in the screenshots just because they stayed long enough at Liverpool.

The problem is I don't know how I should define a good mentor. I usually just look for players good for that specific attribute (Rensing for GK's consistency, Hasebe for CB's professionalism, etc.). No personality can cover all attributes. It would be great if you or @Scratch can make sort of a set of must-haves of a good mentor or a rank of importance between the mentor-able attributes.

Edited June 20, 2022 by eternalaurora

[eternalaurora]

On 17/06/2022 at 01:33, Meow said:

Yes, 100% sure he is professional. Instantly when a new contract was signed he was back to positive influence.

I just encountered a case where the player wants a new challenge, yet his influence is still positive.

FYI, his professionalism is 18.

[Meow]

3 hours ago, eternalaurora said:

I just encountered a case where the player wants a new challenge, yet his influence is still positive.

FYI, his professionalism is 18.

Not every player reacts in the same way. I've seen players when wanting a new contract still being a positive influence for everything but morale, while others their work professionalism drops.

[Scratch]

6 hours ago, eternalaurora said:

There's also Dias who's Strict Leader. One potential concern for players like VVD and Salah is they are ambitious but not very loyal, so if you buy a player of such quality, he will cast F level influence on the squad loyalty for at least 2 seasons. They are C level in the screenshots just because they stayed long enough at Liverpool.

The problem is I don't know how I should define a good mentor. I usually just look for players good for that specific attribute (Rensing for GK's consistency, Hasebe for CB's professionalism, etc.). No personality can cover all attributes. It would be great if you or @Scratch can make sort of a set of must-haves of a good mentor or a rank of importance between the mentor-able attributes.

I think you probably want people with the Good Influence on Youngsters thing:

Haven't ever proved it, but they seem to mentor players more quickly, and are more likely to pass on one of their full hidden attributes. I think older players are more likely to have this.

So, you want someone with a high reputation and CA, probably older (but not declined too much), who has a good influence on youngsters and who has mostly high hidden attributes...

On that last bit, here is why Giroud is so good (apart from the good influence thing):

Spoiler

If he passes on Professionalism or Determination or Work Rate you're gonna be happy. Of course it could be Ambition he passes on... No-one's perfect. 😄

The trick though is finding players like that, especially with the good influence thing.

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Scratch

[Meow]

37 minutes ago, Scratch said:

If he passes on Professionalism or Determination or Work Rate you're gonna be happy. Of course it could be Ambition he passes on... No-one's perfect

Time to dig for someone high everything with low ambition 😂

Might be too micromanaging at that point.

[eternalaurora]

11 minutes ago, Meow said:

Time to dig for someone high everything with low ambition 😂

Might be too micromanaging at that point.

Modest and Modest Professional players have very low ambition.

If you just don't want it to be too high, Determined can be one to go after. Unsporting and Relaxed players also aren't too ambitious, but... I guess you'd rather not have players like that in your team.🤨

[eternalaurora]

56 minutes ago, Scratch said:

I think you probably want people with the Good Influence on Youngsters thing:

Haven't ever proved it, but they seem to mentor players more quickly, and are more likely to pass on one of their full hidden attributes. I think older players are more likely to have this.

So, you want someone with a high reputation and CA, probably older (but not declined too much), who has a good influence on youngsters and who has mostly high hidden attributes...

On that last bit, here is why Giroud is so good (apart from the good influence thing):

  Hide contents

If he passes on Professionalism or Determination or Work Rate you're gonna be happy. Of course it could be Ambition he passes on... No-one's perfect. 😄

The trick though is finding players like that, especially with the good influence thing.

 

My Hasebe isn't like doesn't have that but I have my whole defense successfully mentored by him. I'm not really sure how that works. For mentors, I usually just look for players in their 30s with 120+ CA.

[Meow]

13 minutes ago, eternalaurora said:

Modest and Modest Professional players have very low ambition

I've had a modest professional with low work rate, didn't know it was possible before I got a regen like that. 

Definitely something to take note of considering I've found professionalism easier to raise than work rate outside of mentoring.

[eternalaurora]

6 hours ago, Meow said:

I've had a modest professional with low work rate, didn't know it was possible before I got a regen like that. 

Definitely something to take note of considering I've found professionalism easier to raise than work rate outside of mentoring.

Brad Guzan has that personality.

Really? Through what methods? I found it the other way around.

[Scratch]

Yeah, I found Work Rate easier to raise than anything. If you get the team score for Work Rate up to A (or even B), then you can get a bunch of upgrades to Work Rate (only Work Rate, none of the other ones) simply by praising players' current form whenever their average form over the last 5 games is higher than 7.0 (though only once a month or so). And it doesn't stop at 15 like disciplining players etc. It will keep raising until it eventually hits 20...

[Meow]

2 hours ago, eternalaurora said:

Really? Through what methods? I found it the other way around.

 

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

Yeah, I found Work Rate easier to raise than anything. If you get the team score for Work Rate up to A (or even B), then you can get a bunch of upgrades to Work Rate (only Work Rate, none of the other ones) simply by praising players' current form whenever their average form over the last 5 games is higher than 7.0 (though only once a month or so). And it doesn't stop at 15 like disciplining players etc. It will keep raising until it eventually hits 20...

That's not my experience. Don't get me wrong, it does sometimes pop up but almost never.

Shipped 4 guys who had poor work rate and never improved. 3 more I've watched closely because they are actually good, never had a Work Rate up on them.

[Scratch]

2 hours ago, Meow said:

 

That's not my experience. Don't get me wrong, it does sometimes pop up but almost never.

Shipped 4 guys who had poor work rate and never improved. 3 more I've watched closely because they are actually good, never had a Work Rate up on them.

Happens a lot for me. But maybe it's mainly the younger players. I will say it doesn't happen much for the first season or two, but I always hit a stage where they rack up the work rate points. It only seems to be when praising them for their form though (that it happens this much). I'll keep a closer eye on this happening. Stuck on C in the current save though and in first season, so might be a while...

[Superking]

I removed 5 to 6 players from squad who disturbing team's dynamics and after that my team dynamics remained same throughout season like this . 

[eternalaurora]

Actually @Scratch by "good mentor" I meant which attributes should we prioritize if we are just picking a mentor in general, since not everyone is Jordan Henderson or Harry Kane. We will have to make some sacrifice here and there, so I'd like to know how you will rank these mentor-able attributes. Professionalism probably comes first, then which ones?

[Scratch]

3 hours ago, eternalaurora said:

Actually @Scratch by "good mentor" I meant which attributes should we prioritize if we are just picking a mentor in general, since not everyone is Jordan Henderson or Harry Kane. We will have to make some sacrifice here and there, so I'd like to know how you will rank these mentor-able attributes. Professionalism probably comes first, then which ones?

Sometimes I pick someone for a certain skill, such as Carrillo for Aerial or someone for Crossing. After that I try to pick players I know with high Professionalism and Work Rate. I'm trying to sign those players anyway, but like using them as mentors because they can pass on one of their hidden attributes. Then preferably someone over around 29 to 32, who is reasonably well known and still got good attributes. 

None of that is rocket science though. I don't have any particular secret and I don't always stick to that, because as you say, sometimes you have to go with who you can get (or already have).

Edited June 22, 2022 by Scratch

[Scratch]

13 hours ago, Meow said:

 

That's not my experience. Don't get me wrong, it does sometimes pop up but almost never.

Shipped 4 guys who had poor work rate and never improved. 3 more I've watched closely because they are actually good, never had a Work Rate up on them.

Okay, have seen this happening a bit in action now. 

Just before my next game I went through and praise current form for about 10 players (everyone with last 5 match average greater than 7.0). Note, my Dynamics for Work Rate is only C at this point:

Of the 10 players I praised, 3 of them had Work Rate increases:

Spoiler

Two were wonderkids, but one is 26 years old, so it's not only youngsters.

What they do seem to have in common is reasonably high Work Rate - two actually have the Hard Working comment in the Training screen. The other doesn't, but he has Team Work of 14, so the Work Rate component of that is probably reasonably high.

I'm not using my app in this save, but I know from previous experience that it doesn't max out at 15 like other attributes do. And the fact that two of them have the Hard Working comment shows that it's not maxing out (as they'd already have 15 to get that comment). 

You can't praise them more than once a month or they will complain it's too much, so I waited one month and repeated the process (praise current form for everyone with last match av higher than 7.0).

By this time our Dynamics had improved to B. And out of about 10 or so praised, 6 had Work Rate increases, including the original 3. Actually Juranovic had poor form, so I criticized him instead of praising him and he still got a Work Rate increase):

Spoiler

I'd almost say that it's a case of hard working players becoming more hard working as that seems to be a pattern here. The one outlier is that Nygren only has Team Work of 9 and no Hard Working comment - so it seems it can happen for other players too. Of the 6, only 1 is not young, so that's another common factor. 

Maybe it's because I'm a motivational coach and one of my couches is also motivational? But that's a total guess.

[Superking]

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

Okay, have seen this happening a bit in action now. 

Just before my next game I went through and praise current form for about 10 players (everyone with last 5 match average greater than 7.0). Note, my Dynamics for Work Rate is only C at this point:

Of the 10 players I praised, 3 of them had Work Rate increases:

  Hide contents

Two were wonderkids, but one is 26 years old, so it's not only youngsters.

What they do seem to have in common is reasonably high Work Rate - two actually have the Hard Working comment in the Training screen. The other doesn't, but he has Team Work of 14, so the Work Rate component of that is probably reasonably high.

I'm not using my app in this save, but I know from previous experience that it doesn't max out at 15 like other attributes do. And the fact that two of them have the Hard Working comment shows that it's not maxing out (as they'd already have 15 to get that comment). 

You can't praise them more than once a month or they will complain it's too much, so I waited one month and repeated the process (praise current form for everyone with last match av higher than 7.0).

By this time our Dynamics had improved to B. And out of about 10 or so praised, 6 had Work Rate increases, including the original 3. Actually Juranovic had poor form, so I criticized him instead of praising him and he still got a Work Rate increase):

  Hide contents

I'd almost say that it's a case of hard working players becoming more hard working as that seems to be a pattern here. The one outlier is that Nygren only has Team Work of 9 and no Hard Working comment - so it seems it can happen for other players too. Of the 6, only 1 is not young, so that's another common factor. 

Maybe it's because I'm a motivational coach and one of my couches is also motivational? But that's a total guess.

Fm mobile players should learn this 1st about this game .. this is very use full guide tactics may work may not but this dynamics works well got last minutes goals on injury time and won the game 2 or 3 occasions when I reached work rate at A  and now I know how to change it To A from starting ... 😀 thanks to @Meow

And @Scratch for this use full guide 

Edited June 22, 2022 by Superking
Spelling mistakes

[Meow]

2 hours ago, Scratch said:

I'd almost say that it's a case of hard working players becoming more hard working as that seems to be a pattern here. The one outlier is that Nygren only has Team Work of 9 and no Hard Working comment - so it seems it can happen for other players too. Of the 6, only 1 is not young, so that's another common factor

I think THIS is the key difference in our experience here.

My team is basically young players from our academy (with good work rate already), older players who are already 20 work rate and young players (18-24) who are VERY low work rate.

I think that now fully explains the situation at hand. Hope people who've read this now have the full insight of raising work rate.

[Scratch]

24 minutes ago, Meow said:

I think THIS is the key difference in our experience here.

My team is basically young players from our academy (with good work rate already), older players who are already 20 work rate and young players (18-24) who are VERY low work rate.

I think that now fully explains the situation at hand. Hope people who've read this now have the full insight of raising work rate.

Yeah, that makes sense. When I did the Diamond in the Rough challenge, the main player has Work Rate of 2 at the start and he never ever got a Work Rate increase from this. There was no way to raise it. And many academy players are already 20 or something great as you say.

So I see it a lot because I buy players who are likely to improve in this! 

Edit: But I would say that in general people should try this out and see what happens.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Scratch

[eternalaurora]

On 21/06/2022 at 17:43, Scratch said:

Sometimes I pick someone for a certain skill, such as Carrillo for Aerial or someone for Crossing. After that I try to pick players I know with high Professionalism and Work Rate. I'm trying to sign those players anyway, but like using them as mentors because they can pass on one of their hidden attributes. Then preferably someone over around 29 to 32, who is reasonably well known and still got good attributes. 

None of that is rocket science though. I don't have any particular secret and I don't always stick to that, because as you say, sometimes you have to go with who you can get (or already have).

That is true, but since I'm trying to make a shortlist of good mentors I'd like to hear from you about your expectations of a mentor in terms of hidden attributes. When I am buying mentors, I prefer a mentor with 19 in my attribute of interest and 13 in other attributes over one with 16 in several of them (probably because I have a larger budget to afford multiple inexpensive mentors). However, since this is a shortlist of mentors in general, I'm not sure if I should go with the latter or stick with the former when making this list. Also, I rank the importance of the attributes by Professionalism-Work Rate-Consistency-Determination-Pressure Handling-Loyalty-Ambition-Temperament-Sportsmanship with Temperament and Sportsmanship considered unimportant and take injury proneness into account, but I don't know if the popular opinion is any different. Also, you seem to have an opinion against Ambition, mind sharing your reasons other than hampering loyalty?

Edited June 25, 2022 by eternalaurora