well...

thing is there isn't really a limit on how good a player can be.

if a player has for an example:

150 Potential Ability. and has: 20 finishing, 20 technique, 20 first touch, 20 composure, (at least)15 concentration, (at least)15 decisions, 20 pace, 20 acceleration.

but the rest of the attributes are shit. he would still be a great striker and score lots and lots of goals. (depends on how the team is which he plays in, and what instructions he has been given.).

its more to do with what attributes the player has for his position. he doesnt have to have high attributes on everything.

a player who has great crossing, and great at set pieces and such. he will most likely be a really useful player because he will make lots of assists on corners, in play crossing and goals from free kicks. but he might not be that good overall when it comes to passing, dribbling and such stuff.

its all linked, so even though a player has 20 in freekick, he might not be as good as a player with 18 in freekick and 20 in decisions.

the technical attributes are linked with the mental attributes.

with the bigger players its usually that they have high abilities on both mental and technical and they are most likely to be much better players overall than a average player.

and some players can have PA of 150 but still be as good as a player with 175 in PA. thats why it helps to give a player the 'perfect' instructions. if he has less than 8 in passing u might not want him to pass at all for an example. but with players who have great attributes all along can do more things, they wont be that shit at passing even though they arent that good at passing in real life. its just because they have higher 'qualities' plus that it helps to play in a team with good players around him.

so you can have danny haynes at manchester united and he will be a good player even though with a PA of 170 for an example.

and with the teams being good, if u look in the fm editor(which comes with the game), in there you will find that teams have their own 'attributes' such as attacking, depth, defending, offside etc etc. and usually the bigger teams will have higher 'abilities' which makes them good even though they might have just average players. these abilities cant be seen except in the editor, but they do change during the game. if u take Ipswich and after 4-5 seasons ur a top team, then ur team will become better, and after maybe 10 seasons u can have a team full of average players and good tactics and still manage to win the CL for an example.

its just to make the game realistic though, i mean carrick has 170 in PA if im correct, and he is a good player. but it would be unrealistic to give him a PA of 184 in the game, that would create a HUGE difference between the top players and the average players. thats why only the top players are given a PA of over 184. or something. and because of the teams having their own hidden abilities it makes it slightly more realistic.

i hope it answers most of your questions.

LUHG

yea but he hardly writes but when he does its like wow

thanks very much mate, that helps alot! couldnt have been more in depth either lol x