Choosing your captain?

[leafer01]

What characteristics in the game would make a good captain? And does choosing a captain have any effect on the game?

 

[theo]

Don't think it has any effect but I usually choose my captain by the highest ratings on these skills: composure, decisions, determination and team work. Experience doesn't always count imo.

 

[Daz]

Influence is the biggest factor for me, that with Team Work.

 

[theo]

Yeah, forgot about influence. What's the captain's role in FM anyway?

 

[Zlatan]

Well I think it's important to have a good leader in your team, who can pull your team through difficult situations. I notice when my captain, Tim Cahill, is out my team has difficulty getting back from behind etc. But I do admit the whole captain role can be better programed by SI, for example that you give tactical changes to him like IRL.

 

[leafer01]

Well I think it's important to have a good leader in your team, who can pull your team through difficult situations. I notice when my captain, Tim Cahill, is out my team has difficulty getting back from behind etc. But I do admit the whole captain role can be better programed by SI, for example that you give tactical changes to him like IRL.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. It seemed to me that whenever I take my captain out or he's injured, the team doesn't play as well as it usually does. I wasn't sure though, so it's good to see that others have noticed it too i guess.

Thanks for all the suggestions, guys! The influence category is indeed probably the most important one for this.

 

[Tom]

Influence and Decisions are by far the most important.

Apart from that, experience is likely to be factor, and its probably better to have someone who plays regularly to be there.

Also, someone who speaks the native language of that country is better.

 

[Filipower]

meh, i usually put the player with most years at the club...

 

[Fernandez]

First-teamers with influence for me.

 

[ngyc]

don't see any any different with that. usually i pick the one who have high influence

 

[Dreath]

Whoever has the highest set of influence, determination, work rate and teamwork.

I just add up their scores and see who overall have the highest.

Unsurprisingly they are usually CBs or DMCs.

I never give it to new signings though.

I notice that they play worse with it on, same with young players. A player will go from a 5 to a 7/8 when I give it to an older player.

 

[arsenal_boi]

good thread this

i usually just put my favourite players
thats been at the club for a while
i have no idea who to use as captain or what effect it has

 

[champdave]

It seems to affect mentalities or motivation on the part of other players. If your first team has players that have been at the club for years and you put in a 17 year old just signed from another club as captain, you'll see a big performance drop.

Put Steven Gerrard as captain, then well, you win the champions league

 

[dirion]

I have actually never thought of this, have any of you noticed any different in the matches when you have chosed (spelling?) different captains? My question is if it makes a difference who is the captain?

 

[leafer01]

I think it definitely does make a difference. In the captains screen, I assigned 3 captains and ranked them in order of who has the most influence so that if one guy is out of the lineup, the game automatically picks the next best guy for me.

Well, there was a stretch when all 3 of my guys were injured/suspended, and I don't think the team was playing as well as it has in previous matches. Of course that could have to do with the fact that those 3 guys were also my key players (2 DC and the keeper), but I think in the past, my team has also played differently when my regular captain isn't in the lineup..

It's a bit of a concern to me too as my captain (Ignashevich) is getting old while the next best guy (Vidic) has been out for 2-3 months and a young Nigerian defender Yussuf has outplayed him. If these 2 guys don't make the lineup, my most influential players are my 23 year old keeper and a 17 year old striker.. :/

 

[rpvankasteren]

A captain can never be a young player, look at Ajax last season

 

[theo]

Meh, look at Ajax 4 seasons ago, when Chivu was captain.

 

[Tom]

yeah Ruud is right, ive learnt from experience that FM will punish you for using a younger player as captain.

 

[Zlatan]

A captain can never be a young player, look at Ajax last season

Which is why I wanted Edje to come back so badly last summer, so yeah it's indeed better to select a old(ish) player. Cristi is indeed an exception, but he has a very good moral, he's a born leader.

 

[Da Kid]

don't see any any different with that. usually i pick the one who have high influence