LOL. while its nice to see some chatter in here finally, you guys crack me up.
I hate to burst some bubbles here, but I'm way more experienced than you would think. I took some time off from the game, but I've been as high as division two, and consistently in Division three from Season 7 to 17. I'm not as active as I used to be, I sometimes forget to set lineups, forgot that I had a team for three weeks, and over trained the heck out of my team in one setting, but I can assure you that I will win this league (that is if I can just remember I'm in the league).
You guys have a ton to learn about this game, but the biggest thing is the economics. Dont' be in too much of a hurry to promote up beyond D4 unless you have about 1 or 2 million (yes million) in cash reserves. Once you promote to D3 the competition is fierce and the attendance factor becomes a real problem. Your fickle fans start getting "po'd" by your 11-11 seasons after dominating the D4 and D5 ranks and they start looking for other things to do.
Also, don't play the waiver wire game unless you like losing a lot of money in the process.
Don't be afraid to invest in older players at non-training positions, but don't expect to get the same value upon sale that you did when you acquired them. I try to look for bargains around the 30-32 age range and then watch them slowly depreciate over the next 5 to 6 seasons as I train other positions.
Remember it'll be bumpy as you transition from outside to inside training, or vice versa.
Here's a few other things to consider:
Stockpile your draft points over the course of a few seasons. When you are making gravy, invest in the draft, but it makes no sense to spend those points unless you've got a decent pick. I usually invest at 40k until I'm out of the cup and then shut down until next season. My advice is to shut down your training investment once you've got about 40 points so that you can come back to those points when things get a bit more competitive in the upper ranks.
Think about they type of player you could realistically get for 480k and ask yourself if it is worth investing 40k for twelve weeks for the "chance" at a player or if it makes more sense to acquire the player you know you need.
Also don't spend a ton of money on older players, unless they are well rounded and can play multiple positions.
I wouldn't spend more than about 250k on a player until you get to D4 / D5, unless you happen upon a stud (<20 with better than superstar status and a great training base).
And don't be so predictable in your settings guys. Try to build a team that doesn't just rely upon Motion all of the time like mine. Branch out a bit and try a few other settings. If you have one player who is just that much better than the rest of your team, play patient (but make sure you've got decent ball handling). To succeed at the higher levels you'll need to scout your opponents, analyze their tendencies, be able to play multiple styles and understand the impact that playing take it easy, normal and crunch time has on your team's performance.
Good luck to you all. This is a fun game if you can find balance and not let it take over your life like I did for a while.