Quote Originally Posted by Gert Funck View Post
[...] lowering [...] Quality [...]
Sorry Gert, for ripping this out of context, but for me, the clue is in the words lowering quality.

It just sounds wrong, and no matter which way I look at it, I can't make a 'right' of it. I think it's a pretty lame scheme to fill your trophy cabinet with worthless trophys 'won' against inferior opposition.

Of course, if you're doing well the game kinda assumes you're a token buyer, so it puts you in with tougher opposition (other token buyers). So, once you start winning something, it'll become harder every time, but we all knew that already which is why this scheme exists.

I look at it as a challenge: Can I as a non-spender (or for example Leicester, West Ham, Wolfsburg, Ingolstadt) mix with the cash splashers (e.g. Chelsea, Man City, Bayern)?

To me, it's a matter of hono(u)r/integrity (I can literally hear the brain switches clicking to the 'off' position at this point).

Instead of lowering quality, I actually increase the quality of my squad. I know it sounds screwy, but bear with me, it makes sense in the end:

During any season, my squad is a 5* squad on average, fed by the best the transfer market has to offer for 1-3 tokens a pop, i.e. players who will maintain that 5* status for at least 1 more season. They're all 22+ years old (some considerably older, up to 32).

Come the end of the season, I lay off those who won't make it 5* next season (thus inevitably increasing the team average quality).

During all of this, I keep my youths (18-20 years of age) 4*, and they mostly get substitute appearances - I don't believe in fielding 'baby' teams: they get injured too often and their performances are usually not consistent. Instead, I hold their skill points back until they're 21 at which point I make them 5* and play them more often/regularly.

Now the tricky bit: despite selling the weakest links, on day 1 of the following season I'll have a 4* average team, and I only buy new players up to the point of being just under 5* average. Once the league has been drawn (day 3/28), I fill the squad to my needs, and hey presto - it's a 5* team again.

It seems to make a difference though whether you've finished 1st or 4th in the league. When I finish 1st, the following season's league will be tougher than when I finish 4th, for example.

Of course, that way I'm taking a chance in the 1st round of the cup, but although it always contains teams from at least 2 lvls above, they're never more then 1 or 2 quality points ahead, and I view that as a positive, and if I get kicked out early rounds - tough noogies, and try to do better next time.

So far, I got away with it without tanking. Ok, I haven't won a triple yet (17th season), but collected 11 1st, 7 2nd and 9 3rd-5th dishes. Considering that I've never spent any cash...

I think this winning titles thing is way overrated, anyway. I mean after all, football is just a game; taken far too seriously by most involved parties.
I much rather see football the way Arsenal (and many others) play it often (attractive, pacey, exciting) without winning trophies than the 1-0 hackings Chelsea delivered in their first title-winning season under Mou.

But of course, that's just me...