A September auction is not an August auction

The advantage of knowing

The reason to hold the auction after the first rounds is always the same: the window is shut, starting elevens are visible, and nobody buys players who might still move.

The advantage is not free. With two or three rounds played, everyone has seen the same things, and that information is already in the price.

Two matches are not a sample. A forward who scored twice against weak defences has not become better; a starter who missed two games with a niggle has not become worse. A September auction prices a fortnight of form across a nine-month season.

What to do about it

The most useful rule is the dullest: write your maximum prices before looking at the early results, not after. If you then raise one, at least you know by how much and why.

The second is to watch whoever has played little so far. It is the only group that costs less in September than it will be worth.

The third always holds: nobody may spend so much that they can no longer cover their remaining slots at one credit each.

The date still to fix

If you auction now, the other date for the calendar is the repair auction: right after the winter window closes, in early February.

Fixing it today, and writing it in the rules, changes how everyone plays the first half of the season.