Hi guys. I'm Shaun Meakin, manager of The Moles in Gameworld Clough. I've been appointed by Martin White to be your scout and tell you about some of the youths that you can buy in FML. I would like to point out that, in Gameworld Clough, we are currently entering into our third season, so most youths that are posted have had a lot of time to develop into the quality that they are currently. Also, we had a distinct advantage with being able to pick our squad individually from the start.
But enough about the boring stuff, i'm sure you only came here to see what good youths look like! Well you certainly won't be disappointed. Now I could harp on about how good Messi, Ronaldo, Aguero, Bojan and Pato are, but I find it best to talk about players that aren't as well-known.
Firstly, because the lesser known players are usually the ones left out in the race to sign the guranteed superstars. Secondly, usually because they're a damn sight cheaper than the others but are capable of being just as good. And finally, usually because it's that much more satifying getting someone who people don't believe to be good and turning him into the next hot prospect.
Right, on with the actual players. I think for now, an initial squad of 11 youths would be good. I'm going to base my choices on the ever-popular 4-5-1 formation, instead of a standard 4-4-2 formation as, in FML at least, 4-5-1 is the new 4-4-2.
So we'll start with the most important position, between the posts. You hate them when they make a blunder, you love them when they save that important last penalty in a shoot-out. Yes, it's the keeper.
Traditionally, I look for keepers with decent agility, balance and jumping. And then having a good set of keeping skills. As youth keepers usually don't have very good physicals, I usually look for ones with good Technicals. Reflexes is a must, so is Handling. One on Ones, Communication, Aerial Ability and Commanding Area come next in my "Priority" list for Technicals. A good example of a good keeper would be Preston Edwards:
I signed him in my initial squad, he has been improving steadily throughout the season. As a result of the update, though, he's got a massive boost because there was a small error with players not getting trained properly. He's now my starting keeper and i've sold off every spare keeper as I intend to let him develop further before I think about whether I want to keep him permanently. As I said earlier, I got to pick my squad and he was an initial pick, also note that we are currently 3 seasons in to Clough, so he won't appear like this if you are starting in a new gameworld. Just thought I should point that out again.
Ok. Next up is the right back. I started out with a fairly poor right back, as my initial choices were snapped up. I've made do with some pretty poor signings at right back and it's always been my weakest position.
Right now, I have an amazing young right back, his name is Fagner (I'll admit, I giggled a little when I first heard it too). As you can see, he's got bags of pace so he's able to track back effectively. He's a bit weak on the technical front, hoping the new update might soon amend that though. He's got 13 crossing for me, which is very good for a wing back. Great teamwork/work rate as well, so he's not shy of getting stuck in for the team. Really low wages as well which means you can keep him for a long time without needing to sell him. I signed him when he was 19, he looked similar to what he does currently except he had less pace and a lot less mental attributes.
Next position is the other wingback, the left side. I must admit, i'd never really heard of my left back before, but I'm certainly glad I got him now. His name is Nazifi Inuwa, and he was also 19 when I signed him for my squad. He's been developing in a similar way to Fagner. He's on lower wages but, despite what the picture shows, he's developing nicely.
Word of caution though, expect your wing-backs to be suspended a LOT. Wing-backs seem to get a lot of needless yellow/red cards. Probably best to get a backup player for each side, usually a Regen.
Now we're looking at the heart of the defence. The central defenders. My oldest DC is actually my best one, he's only 23 (starts off at the age of 20, that's why he's mentioned). My first, and main defender is Patricio Araujo.
The green arrows, again as I've mentioned, are from the update we recently had. He wasn't developing much before that but now he's probably going to develop a lot over the coming season. I have judging potential 4, and you can see he's marked down as a 5* potential for me. So the minimum he could possibly be would be a 4* potential. He is my captain, and he is a fantastic leader with a 20 stat in Influence.
He's a very pacey defender, and strong. One of my best players, if I'm honest, with a really low wage. No doubt he'd be a top defender for years to come.
Krystian Pearce is my other central defender, he's been with me from the start of my Gameworld. He's developed mostly in the mentals, for me. Again, down to a small thing that has been rectified with the update. He should flourish soon.
He's only just broke into my first team because of this, although i'm certain if he stays in my first team he will start to play well and develop well because of it. He's another one of my players who is on a low wage. He has good physical attributes (namely pace, strength and jumping) and once his technicals develop, I have no doubt he will prove a formidable player alongside Araujo.
I think that's it, for now. I'll probably post the rest sometime soon. Probably later on in the day when it's not early in the morning! I just want to leave with a quick note though.
The attributes and the potential of the players that I've talked about above will vary, slightly, in different gameworlds. So it's always best to check their attributes before you commit to anything. Also, be aware that players might not develop in exactly the same way for you as they have for someone else. And lastly, you won't be able to all of the good youth players at the start of the Gameworld. I got a fair few of them, mainly because I could hand pick. Don't expect to be able to sign these players for a youth squad, you'll most likely be looking at even lesser known players for forming a youth squad. And later on, regens become a big part of a Gameworld and will slowly start to dominate your youth squad (and eventually seniors, if you stay for that long!)
Hope these starting players and tips are helpful to you. I'll be sure to post up my second part with the midfielders and my striker.
here is a great RB who performs well in seniors as well as youth. not to long ago i had offers of over 3M and he had a senior average rating of 7 and 7.42 in youth
he scored lots of goals from corners and the edge of the box with his great long shots and can play DM competently when injuries stacked up.
here is his defensive partner and was one of the reasons why i did the AFA Youth Double in season 2.
this guy did ok but didnt exactly shine which is why once he got too old for the youth team i shipped him out for a decent fee and also got rid of his wage from the wage bill
this guy was alot better on the right wing but at the point he got too old i decided to not use wingers in my seniors so i also got rid of him for a midest price.
heres is my wngine room, this guy was a machine when he was in my youth team but could never make a diffrence in my seniors which led me too selling him for 1.5M half a season after he was too old for the under 21s
this guy in my opinion is why you should start a youth team. he was decent for seniors and excellent for youth and is one of the few players who made the grade. he is still playing for my seniors too this day with a great average and chips in with a few games as well. it is easy to see why many people want a successful youth team.
at the start of the GW this guy was an absolute speed demon, it seems he isnt as fast anymore because the other players i play agianst seem to have caught up so they can at least catch this guy. he didnt have great finishing but he was so fast that he could go straight past the GK and score a few goals
First midfielder I want to talk about is my central midfielder, Adrien. He was my first buy, shortly after getting my squad together and I've not looked back since. He's been instrumental in helping me get the XFA Division 1A title last season. He starts at just 19 years old.
Sherman Cardenas is my second central midfielder that I use on a regular basis. He starts off at just 19 years old. Earlier on in my FML Clough Gameworld Managerial career, I played him on the left wing (He's a natural (A)ML and (A)MC.), and he performed well there. But I moved him into the central midfield and he's gone from strength to strength. Currently my penalty taker, as I have nobody better. He, alongside Adrien, scores around the same amount of goals as my striker. At the end of last season, my striker and my two central mids were on a level par with each other for goals. They're also the future of my club, and will probably be my midfield for the next 5 seasons.
A special mention goes out to this Charlton youth player, Jonjo Shelvey. When I signed him, he was only 16, now he's 18 and is pushing for a place in my first team squad. Right now he's a bench warmer, but pretty soon he'll be forming an essential part of my team. His reputation rose all the way to 3.5* recently.
I used to have this player, Emmanuel Sarki. The Chelsea youngster is a great right winger. He has bags of pace and acceleration, he's also a good crosser and dribbler of the ball. He has lots of technique, and this was even before any real training took place. He starts of at just 20 years old and is an excellent prospect.
The Arsenal Left Winger and Left Wingback Armand Traore is a great prospect to have if you could afford to get him. I was lucky to get him when the manager who previously had him was in need of money. Starts of at just 18 years old.
Up front, I have the Manchester United starlet Danny Welbeck. When you start in a new Gameworld, he is only 18 years of age. Right now, he's only 20 years old and he's my first team striker. He starts off with a lot of pace and acceleration, with a lot of Technique and Dribbling for someone so young. Development wise, he's gone up to 20 pace and will soon hit 20 acceleration. That is fantastic for someone who's only 20 years of age! He will definitely be a star striker for the foreseeable future.
This is my substitute striker, Pablo Ochoa. He starts off at just 17 years old and he has some fantastic attributes for someone so young. Currently he's only 19 and he's a serious contender to replace Welbeck if he keeps developing well. For me, he plays as a senior substitute and usually comes on when Welbeck isn't on form. He starts when Welbeck is injured (he rarely gets suspended for me) and he always performs well.
I signed him in my initial squad, he has been improving steadily throughout the season. As a result of the update, though, he's got a massive boost because there was a small error with players not getting trained properly. He's now my starting keeper and i've sold off every spare keeper as I intend to let him develop further before I think about whether I want to keep him permanently. As I said earlier, I got to pick my squad and he was an initial pick, also note that we are currently 3 seasons in to Clough, so he won't appear like this if you are starting in a new gameworld. Just thought I should point that out again.
Right now, I have an amazing young right back, his name is Fagner (I'll admit, I giggled a little when I first heard it too). As you can see, he's got bags of pace so he's able to track back effectively. He's a bit weak on the technical front, hoping the new update might soon amend that though. He's got 13 crossing for me, which is very good for a wing back. Great teamwork/work rate as well, so he's not shy of getting stuck in for the team. Really low wages as well which means you can keep him for a long time without needing to sell him. I signed him when he was 19, he looked similar to what he does currently except he had less pace and a lot less mental attributes.
Next position is the other wingback, the left side. I must admit, i'd never really heard of my left back before, but I'm certainly glad I got him now. His name is Nazifi Inuwa, and he was also 19 when I signed him for my squad. He's been developing in a similar way to Fagner. He's on lower wages but, despite what the picture shows, he's developing nicely.
The green arrows, again as I've mentioned, are from the update we recently had. He wasn't developing much before that but now he's probably going to develop a lot over the coming season. I have judging potential 4, and you can see he's marked down as a 5* potential for me. So the minimum he could possibly be would be a 4* potential. He is my captain, and he is a fantastic leader with a 20 stat in Influence.
Krystian Pearce is my other central defender, he's been with me from the start of my Gameworld. He's developed mostly in the mentals, for me. Again, down to a small thing that has been rectified with the update. He should flourish soon.
