retired_tfjesl

In the rules it states that a real ife manager does not have the option of a transfer screen, true. But a manager can easily access a list of all free and avaliable for transfer players. www.givemefootball.com...its the PFA's website and has a players directory for avaliable players.

so my question ...is it acceptable to use the transfer screen for frees and transfer listed players?

cheers sam

retired_nekh_20

Although there may be a list of names, what do those names mean to you? Mainly nothing. That's what will happen in real life. You won't just sign someone because they have a nice name, you are going to try and check them out.

In FM you click on the name and see the attributes and sign them. That is different to checking the player out in real life.

I much prefer thinking, my scouts will look for these players and get some feedback on them instead of me looking at a pointless list.

Don't go against the ethics, Sam, you won't win.

retired_babygirlgiggles

The general accepted zealot answer would be: No.

Only sign players your scout found or your scout watched after you saw them mentioned in the in-game news.

KingsbayYHPE

It's grey, Sam...greyer than a Kodak greyscale on an elephant's arse...that grey.

You see...how to explain...the Rules and Guidelines are there for a variety of reasons, two of the main ones being "no cheating" and "don't try to make the game easier for yourself".

The former's easy enough in principle. The problem lies in "one man's cheat is another man's modus vivendi". A lot of LLaMas will say using the screen is cheating...you may not.

The latter's more complicated. Is quoting the Players' Union website as a means of justifying using the screen just a scam to make the game easier, instead of using the LLM "scout everything" mantra.

Where it's grey is, some guy will say "But a manager can easily access a list of all free and avaliable for transfer players." and I'll say "what a cheating sod" or "Pah! He's just making the game easier for himself...and he's started a new sentence with "but". Has he never had an English lesson?"

The other problem is with the latter point in that some newer guys actually try to make the game harder for themselves by only scouting Clubs within a 200 yard radius of the centre of their Town, or only youth or other unrealistically difficult ****e.

Bottom line.

LLM's about realism. Play the game as realistically as you can, and accept that some guys' realism is different from yours.

You'll soon find out when the LLaMas think you're being unrealistic.

noveltysteph

It depends on the league you are playing, Ian.

There are some official transfer lists in leagues like Germany and Switzerland. Clubs places the player they don´t need any more quarterly on such a list and every other club manager knows about the list.

The problem is that the game does not cover this kind of transfer list in a realistic way. It's always well known players from your region and this region is sometimes a very strange part of europe.

I think if a search could be reduced to a country and transfer listed players it could be handled as some kind of official transfer list.

So if you try, you could make this grey zone more realistic, but as long as the game does not differ between "inline" transfer list and "oiffial" transfer list by countries who know that, it will be always a "erm, should I use it or not" descision.

retired_nekh_20

I don't think Ian is disputing that KUBI.

noveltysteph

Ian can disputing everything on some days.

retired_fitnesscoach

you can't see the players attributes when you just see a name (assuming you have masking on) so i don't see a problem with looking at a list then sending off your scouts to check them out

retired_lovestoned4805

I use the list for transfers and loans from time to time. I look up the name and the club they are with but have the attributes masked. I then send a scout to scout them. If the scout says they are Ok and I can afford them I might sign them if the scout says they are rubbish I leave them.

creative36

In 03/04 I used the Transfer screen to invite players for trials.
When playing in the lower leagues, I'd invite released players from the top league in my country for a trial. I figured that since many top teams try to arrange for released youth players to try out with lower league teams, this was the closest way of mirroring that.

This was also a reflection of how terrible the scouting was with regards to finding young players on a free.

Since scouting has been given a shot in the arm for FM2005, I can't see myself going back to that.