Football Manager

[Aurelien]

Well judging on how the football/soccer thread is quite active with a few people posting there, I'm wondering on how many of you guys play Football Manager (not to be confused with Championship Manager series btw). If you're playing, which team are you currently playing as? How well is your team doing? And stuff that might interest us....

In my current game, I'm at the start of the 5th season (just entered August) with Tottenham Hotspurs. We've won the Premier League for 4 straight years (the first and third were by a close 1-2 points that was decided at the end of the season), the Champions League for 3 straight years (last two by penalty shoot-out), and many other minor trophies. We've only one 1 FA Cup (last season ... yes, penalty shoot-out against Fulham) and never won the League Cup (I somehow cannot seem to beat Newcastle or Liverpool when it's the League Cup matches grrr!!!!)

My current Tottenham team is very attacking minded with 5 great forwards in form of Jermain Defoe, Robinho, Fernando Torres, Dimitar Berbatov, and Valery Bojinov. The super sub Takahara from Japan is no slack either (scored more than 40 goals in 3 seasons). Defoe was the top scorer for the first three seasons. Berbatov and Torres then arrived and Berbatov got the top scorer for my team because Defoe somehow turned into provider on that season for whatever reason (he tripled his assists compared to the previous season).

My current midfield consisted of Jermaine Jenas, Michael Carrick, Daniel Bierofka, Mikel Arteta, Petter Vaagan Moen, Mabizela (cannot spell first name), and Owen Hargreaves (just bought him this season because Liverpool kept on rejecting my crazy offer for Xabi Alonso).

While my defense consisted of Calum Davenport, Boumsong (just arrived for 4.2 million pounds to replace Ledley King that I sold to ... guess who? Liverpool .. for 20 million pounds), Vanden Borre, Jlloyd Samuel, Alex (also just arrived for 5 million pounds), Atouba, and Ifill.

Paul Robinson is my first goal keeper with Scott Carson as the goalie sub.

Martin Jol, Alan Curbishley, Sam Allardyce, and Jurgen Klinsmann are the four high-profile staffs in my Tottenham team. First three were Assistant Managers, while Klinsmann is a coach.

I'm also the current manager of England national team (just won the European Cup 2008 .... believe it or not, by penalty shoot-out -yes me and the endless penalty shoot-out- against France). My England team is quite young minded with most of the oldies got kicked out of the team. I think Gary Neville is the only one above 30 years old in my team.

I'll mention the surprising things that happened in the 5 seasons that I've played later on. Share your stories, boys. ^__^
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

You knew I'd reply here didn't you Pes, well I haven't played it for a while now but I was playing it non-stop back when it first came out. Now let me think how I was doing with my personal version of Crystal Palace FC.

*Loads game to check facts*

The best place to begin things at is the start, I began my premiership season doing pretty poorly but my relegation battle was won and a fine 16th place, 2 points clear, this was achieved through the fine play of a Turkish superstar, Havutcu Tayfur bought for 855k. Never heard of him? Me either but he was an excellent defensive midfielder who consistently got 9s. I actually won your bogie trophy in this year I can't remember who I beat in the final though, so no relegation and a League Cup in my first year, the Eagles fans rejoiced.

My objective for year two was once more to avoid relegation, I however had other ideas.

2005/06 with once more, low transfer funds I managed to pick up Guy Demel for 575k, a soon to be Ivory Coast international, another Defensive Midfielder, while not as good as Tayfur, he was good enough and stayed in my squad for a long time after this. I also grabbed De Boer on a free transfer and he filled in at centre back for a year, I in fact managed to finish this year up in thirteenth place with a very credible ten point improvement, was it down to Alan Curbishley's arrival as assistant coach after Charlton were relegated the previous season? Who knows. Ben Watson was stunning in this year and Johnson was pretty good as well. I didn't actually win anything though.

2006/07, third year now and it was Palace's time, with 2005/06 finished and a world cup played I made my big summer move after watching an unknown Colombian Freddy Grisales win both the golden boot and player of the tournament (Colombia came third). He came over and created a solid diamond formation with Tayfur playing defensive midfield and Grisales in attacking midfield supporting Andy Johnson. For £4.5m Grisales blew the bank but he was worth it. In 40 games he finished with 20 goals and 21 assists, his 8.63 average match rating over this time gained him 18 player of the week awards, 20 Man of the Matches, 5 player of the month awards, Player's Player of the year, Supporters player of the year and Footballer of the year. He was the creative genius who led to Crystal Palace's first ever premiership title. This team was helped along by 25 goals for Andy Johnson and Routledge's performances on the right wing, with Cruyff on the left. The defence was poor and I can't remember it, apart from Czech(!) star Zdenek Grygera at right back.

2007/08, this year brought a Champion's league win, unbelievable as it may seem. Johnson was still the goalscorer, Grisales was still sublime and Tayfur was in his final year with the club. This year, Lukas Podolski was bought for £5.75m, he started as a 16 games with 10 substitutes appearances, he notched 8 goals and 3 assists averaging 6.69. Not particularly noteworthy. Cruyff retired and Adu began playing left wing full time, he averaged 6.87 in 38 games, I probably burnt him out too early at such a young age. As you can see average performances weren't high enough for league victory finishing a solemn 5th place but achieving a domestic trophy in the FA cup. The team remained very similar to the last year, I get the England job.

2008/09 this was the year I inevitably got bored. I sold a player to chelsea for 75million and bought myself Gilardino and Bojinov. I had already bought Jose Manuel Reina in as my new goalkeeper before cheating, I won everything this year with my super strikers but the real shock was the top scorer, not Bojinov or Gilardino...Lukas Podolski. In 43 games he scored 48 goals, he was the premiership's top scorer and still retains the record with 30 league goals. Generally partnered by Gilardino his long shots were unstoppable. He wasn't one dimensional though and achieved a further 17 assists. My team became something a little like this...
GK: Reina
DF: Grygera, Juan (who was awful for me), Cohen (west ham youngster) and some other centre back I'm forgetting.
MF: Adu, Grisales, Watson (fantastic passer), Routledge
ST: Gilardino, Podolski
Subs: Kiraly, Demel, Hamalainen (Finnish youngster), Bojinov, Johnson

I win Euro 2008 and I don't really remember it too well. Rooney probably scored all my goals anyway.

2009/10 The money came naturally after the last year, I didn't cheat and was given around 30 something million. Johnson was let go and Defoe signed on a free transfer, I used that money to grab John Terry and swiftly made him captain. I think the only thing I lost this year was the community shield and League cup, Tom Lyons, a reserve played in the FA cup final and scored me a hat trick to win the game against Manchester United in his only appearance and debut, all my other strikers were injured. Along with Terry I got Michael Rensing, another goalie, he took over in net. Watson was still superb in midfield. Scott Russell, the west brom wonderkid (regen) was signed and played right wing with great effect.

The world cup rolled around and I'm going in depth with this bit because it was so fun. This post is going to be stupidly long for me, heh. In the qualifiers I beat Argentina (3-2, Rooney (2), C. Cole. Tevez, Riquelme) , Uruguay (2-0, Rooney (2)) and Iran (2-0, Defoe, Downing) to go through from group A in first place. In the second round a clash with Mexico occurs but England win through 4-0 after Mexico bring about their own demise starting things with an own goal, Rooney scores then the Palace boy Watson gets his first England goal and Andy Johnson chips one in to boot.

On comes the quarters. England vs. France. A massive game that ends 3-1, things get started early, Lampard converts a Penalty in the 4th minute and before the half is over Defoe scores a second penalty. France bring themselves back into the game when Trezeguet scores in the 50th minute but England put things out of reach when Downing scores a 67th minute header off a Wright-Phillips cross after the through ball had reached him from Gerrard.

A semi final match with Algeria now loomed but it was a conservative effort from England as they put them away 2-0 with goals from the ever present Wayne Rooney and a strike from Jermain Defoe.

The big match, the Czech Republic had made the final, Grygera was playing against his manager in this game and the Czechs were coming off a 4-0 win where they had thumped Portugal in the other semi-final, it was all to play for. But once more they could do nothing that could stop this England side. Rooney scoring in the 19th minute and the team never looked back, Wright-Phillips scored just the other side of half time to make it 2-0. Rio Ferdinand was injured and on came Ledley King to replace him, he and Terry would finish the game in defence. Lampard finished the game in the 73rd minute with a strike on a layoff from Wright-Phillips just outside the area, the goalie was powerless to stop it.

The team of Green, Smith (Newc. Goalie), Bridge, A. Cole, Ferdinand, King, Samuel, Hargreaves, Lampard, Gerrard, Downing, Watson, Beckham, Wright-Phillips, Rooney, Owen, C. Cole and Johnson had prevailed.

England rejoiced, the world cup was theirs for the first time since '66!

Ah, if only....

Oh well, a little left to go now. Summer moves of buying up young defenders dominated my time here, Van Den Boogaart was added along with Clichy, Kompany and Huth. I also redid midfield finally getting Baptista's work permit, signing Alvaro Jesus Elvira Hernandez from River Plate and stealing Wesley Sneijder on a free. Jose Manuel Reina after making 196 appearances for Crystal Palace was released to Man City and Isaakson the Swedish International was signed in his place, Rensing continued to play (between injuries, he's so prone).

Final Squad then and I'm done.

GK: Rensing, Isaakson, Jennings, Evans
DF: Grygera, Terry (c), Huth, Boogaart, Kompany, Clichy, Cohen
MF: Alvaro Jesus Elvira Hernandez (loving that name), Baptista, Sneijder, Adu, Russell, Hamalainen and Wright-Phillips
ST: Bojinov, Gilardino, Podolski, Defoe, Enzo Giovanni Scorza.

I rank number 2 world wide on the hall of fame behind Marcello Lippi and after a world cup, a european championship, 3 prem titles, 2 FA cups, 3 European Super cups, 3 community shields, 3 league cups and 2 club world championships I'm done, for now.

There, said my piece about this uber-addictive game, it's fantastic.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

Wow, that's so detailed, PF. I could remember all the details of my game, but I'll try to do a similar season by season stuff like what you did.

2004/2005: Rookie manager took over the Tottenham Hotspurs hot seat. The board only asked for a mid table finish, but the rookie manager arrogantly aimed for the gold trying to prove all the pundits and media to be wrong. Playing a very defensive game, Tottenham relied on Jermain Defoe and Captain Ledley King to bring them to their first title after so many years. Daniel Bierofka arrived at the beginning of the season for a mere 400k to occupy the right wing with Simon Davies on the injured list. Petter Vaagan Moen also arrived as a substitute for the midfield. While Anthony Vanden Borre was signed as a 16 year old that would be plotted to bolster the defense in the future.

With Robbie Keane and Freddie Kanoute regularly down with injury, Jermain Defoe was left to work with the sub Rolando da Silva Sousa, and the youngsters of the U-21 team by the name of Jamie Slabber and Owen Price quite often. And when Keane and Kanoute weren't injured, they didn't really score that much either. The goals from Jermain Defoe and the back four of Edman/Atouba, Gardner, King, Pamarot/Mabizela kept the team together, plus the brilliance of Daniel Bierofka with loads of assists to Defoe really saved the arrogance of the rookie manager to fulfill his claim that Tottenham would win the English Premier League that year.

The surprise of the season was definitely Manchester United who finished a dismal 11th , and shockingly ended up keeping Alex Ferguson for another 2 and a half seasons.

I'll come back with the story for the next seasons. I'm running out of time now. X_X
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

I've heard Daniel Bierofka is awesome if you get him at the start, as to the detail, well it's not like I had all the scores memorised I just looked them up on the game and counted the trophies etc.

I haven't actually played it for a couple of months now, it's one of those games you play in phases I find, it's so much fun though you come back and you're start away hooked again. I'll get back into it at some point, whether I play more Palace or play with a different team of course very much remains for debate between me and the other me.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

Daniel Bierofka is awesome on the wings (may it be right wing or left wing). I didn't know about him at all, but he simply kicked arse when I played as Inter Milan. He joined Sampdoria and constantly pulling out 8-10 every game. Even when my Inter destroyed the Il Samp 5-0, he still got 9 while the rest of the Sampdoria got 5's and 6's.

So when I started the Tottenham game, I had a look at the transfer listed players (because Tottenham has limited budget unlike Inter or other big clubs) and was very surprised the Bierofka was transfer listed for 400k-ish. That's really really really A HUGE BARGAIN. So I immediately offered to buy him, then bump up his contract offer to get him in front of the other clubs (there would be like 4-5 other clubs wanting his signature, though surprisingly no big clubs).
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

I can't say I've tried him but bargain wise in the first year if you could get together Bierofka, Grisales and Tayfur and play them in a diamond with someone half decent on the left that might work wickedly well.

I may have to have a go on the game and set that plan into motion actually since the thought piques my curiosity.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Fundertaker]

As for me, I'm currently at half of the 3rd season with AFC Ajax (some of you may think its a bit weird, but I created this game with many other saves on the major leagues, like England and Spain, or other medium high, like Portuguese and French, and I've conquered everything, and since I'm becoming a bit more lazy, I just opted for a easy champioship)

As for my conquering, I've won it all (only lost European Supercup once against "guess who? Liverpool"), which made me 3 times Dutch Champion, 3 times Dutch Cup Champion, 4 times Dutch Supercup Champion, 3 times Champions League champion, 3 times FIFA Club's World Cup champion and 1 time European Supercup champion.

I've already sold the 2 crown jewels of Ajax, Rafael Van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder, just to make it more chalenging in the Champions (Sneijder is in Deportivo and van der Vaart in Man Utd)

Now, my main squad is composed of:

Goalkeepers: Marcos, Stekelenburg, Landreau
Defenders Left: John O'Brien (1 year injured, crap), Maxwell, Jankulovski
Defenders Right: Jurgen Colin, Hanno Balitsch
Defenders Centre: Nigel de Jong, John Heitinga, Dario Veron, Julien Escudé
Defensive Midfielders: Javier Mascherano, Alexei Smertin
Midfielders Centre/Offensive: Mark van Bommel, Shinji Ono, Javier Araujo
Midfielders Left: Niculae Mitea, Junior Kwanye
Midfielders Right: Tom de Mul, Steven Pienaar
Fowards: Cristiano, Ewerthon, Wesley Sonck, Robin Nelisse


What do ya think?
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Tinto: Kicking Asses is our Speciality


This post is officially Fundertaker Approved

[Exile]

Stekelenberg is a great goalie on the game, always ends up in the prem for a team like Chelsea (they already had Cech and Cudicini, the greedy...) when I'm playing the game. Aside from that it all looks pretty good, I don't know your right backs, they much good? If that needs looking at I'd take a peek at Zdenek Grygera like I mentioned in my post, he's very consistent if not spectacular, he can fill in at CB as well.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

Hmm I don't think Stekelenberg ended up in EPL (in my Tottenham game), nor in Serie A (in my Inter game), but he might be worth it if PF said that he's good. My Tottenham is lacking good back up goalie for Robinson. I was *this* close to get Buffon, but he chose to stay at Juve rather than joining the mighty Hotspurs. T__T

Right back seems to be the position with the least great players for me. It's really difficult to find good DR (that's why my England still use Gary Neville *though I'm desperately trying to put Carragher there instead*). Tottenham's Pamarot and Ifill were good enough, but not great. With the arrival of more forwards in my team, I just switched to 3 centre-backs now rather than the normal back four.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

Since Gary Neville has retired from international football in my game he's been replaced by Glen Johnson, he seems the natural one to swap him with and he's not bad on mine.

Seriously Grygera for Tottenham, oh so consistent at right back and he's Czech to boot perfect for you and your needs Pes. Did I just gain membership into Grygera's fan club for makings plugs about three times in two days?
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

LoL ... well with my 3 centre-back tactic, I don't think Grygera would fit in since I just purchased Boumsong and Alex to replace King and Pamarot. So now my main 3 centre-backs are Vanden Borre, Davenport, and Boumsong. Grygera as good as he may be, would have no place in the team because I really like Davenport (scored lots of headers off corner kicks), Vanden Borre (still 20-21 years old and rapidly getting better all the time), and Boumsong (who has been surprisingly good 80-90% of the times).

And to my surprise, I don't even have a single Czech in my team. Sadness. I guess I could buy Milan Baros considering that he's in Free Transfer for a year already (no one seems to want to sign him), but then again, I don't have place for him up front. =(
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

Not a bad sub though is he, I mean if you can afford it of course, no sense adding useless wage bills to your team. Get Rosicky or something, he'd add something to any midfield.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

Well of course Grygera wouldn't be a bad sub, but even for the sub, I already have 3 in form of Jlloyd Samuel, Phillip Ifill, and Mabizela on top of Alex. So 4 subs behind the 3 first team players. Grygera would be having loads of problem breaking in to the team.

Rosicky is definitely my fave Czech player, but he's in Chelsea already, and frankly speaking, I don't have space for him either on MC with Arteta, Carrick, and Vaagan Moen there. Otherwise, I would've got D'Alessandro from free transfer.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008

[Exile]

Sorry, little confusion there I meant picking Baros up on a free, he would make a good sub I wouldn't say buy Grygera to be a sub, he deserves first team football! You're making want to play this again and I have work to do, shame on you. I can resist the temptation for now I think though...thankfully I've only got a few more days of work before I can play it once more.
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Cry woe, destruction, ruin, and decay -
The worst is death, and death will have his day.

[Aurelien]

Ahahahaha, oh my bad. Well Baros would be even further down in the pecking order behind Defoe, Robinho, Berbatov, Torres, Bojinov, Takahara, and even Lupoli.
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~City-States of Jowston and Tinto Republic~
06.06.2004 - 20.01.2008