Friday, November 28, 2008

Start of the 09/10 Season - Transfer Craziness!

I have just started the 09/10 season, and although I have played a couple games the big news is the transfers both in and out. In FM 08 they had major problems with the transfer engine and they said it was going to be fixed, but to me they have gone to the exact opposite extreme with the changes. There is just simply way to many bids for all kinds of players for my liking. Almost half of my team is unsettled right now due to the bids coming in and it seems that I have ZERO loyalty in any of my players. The first bid that comes in will immediately cause them to be unsettled, even when I negotiate a high price rather than just flat out reject the bid. Based on what I have seen so far I am really not a fan of the transfer system in 09 at all. Evidence of the problems is my £29 million pound sale of Corluka to AC Milan (which smashed their record BTW). I sold him reluctantly but for that price it was an easy decision.

I really didn't find a suitable replacement for Corluka which is of great concern for me now. I was close to getting a couple star Brazilian defenders but they both had work permits turned down. I also tried to get Kompany but City's price was just too high.

Here are the transfers I made:











Players IN:


Porter: He will act as a backup striker for me and is actually off to a great start.
Haruna: A young player that I got on the cheap and he could be a good player in a couple years.
Saviola: I got him on loan from Real Madrid. it was a 1.2 million loan fee with a 4.5 million option.
Wagner: A young DC that I needed for depth. He looks to be OK for 2.5 million.
Kacar: My big purchase with the Corluka money. I paid way to much but desperate times call for desperate measures.

Players Out:
Corluka: As I mentioned 29 million was just too good to turn down. I am sorry to see him go.
Hutton: Not needed.
Jenas: Unhappy and I got 9 million for him.

























My preferred starting 11 is now:












My start to the season looks like this:


Thursday, November 27, 2008

08/09 End of Season Report

The 2008/2009 season has concluded and my Tottenham squad finished a disappointing 13th in the English Premier Division. The season started with a poor run of results and just when it looked like my team was about to turn the corner mid-season I will slammed with a series of poor results in the final 10 games.

There is no doubt that the 09 version of Football Manager is much tougher than 08. I spent virtually the entire year trying to find the right mix of formation, squad selection, and tactic. I have never switched my tactics more in a single year than I did in my year playing this game.

Here are the final EPL standings:













Arsenal captured not only the league title but the League Cup AND the FA Cup as well. No doubt a great year for them. The ECL was won by Chelsea who beat Liverpool 2-0 in the final. the EPL is not exactly an easy league to manage in considering I am just learning the game!!!!!!


My manager's position at Tottenham for the time being is stable, however you have to figure that I need better results next year if I want to stay on at the club. Others managing the Spurs have said that it takes almost a full year for the team to gel which hopefully is the case, however I am planning some big off-season moves which may delay the squad harmony even further. One notable injury that I will carry with me into the new season is Gareth Bale broke his leg in the final game of the year and will miss 5-6 months.

Here are my squad stats for the year:

Notable Performers:

Bentley: My most consistent player had a decent year. He is attracting huge interest from many big clubs.

Moutinho: Got off to a slow start upon his arrival but later in the year turned in several great performances. He will be a good player for me.

Modric: Was largely inconsistent and he needs to get better next year. Hopefully he will settle in a learn the language soon.


Pavlyuchenko: He had a very disappointing year stats wise, but I am chalking it up to tactics, or lack there of.

Derbyshire: My key singing this year scored 6 times and play fairly well in his short time here so far. I am hoping to find the proper game plan to allow him and Pav to score big in 09/10.

Jenas: Had a very poor year and will likely be sold in the summer.

Woodgate: Had a very poor year as well, wants to leave, and will leave to the highest bidder in a couple months.

Some other screens of interest:












Add Image

Downing Signs with Tottenham

Middlesbrough was just recently relegated from the Premier League and their troubles turned out to be a substantial gain for Tottenham. Middlesbrough offered out a number of players at discounted prices and I was able to snap up Stewart Downing for a low sum of £6 million. There were 26 teams that offered him a contract however my offer of £37,500/week with a £2.5 million singing bonus was the winning offer.

Although I am fairly strong on the wings I am predicting the loss of Bentley, Modric, or even both in the near future. Bentley in particular is sure to attract a lot of big offers this summer and it is unlikely I will be able to hold him for the long term. I also felt that the chance to get a good, experienced winger for only £6 mil was too good to pass up.

Stewart Downing's Current Profile

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Darren Bent - Enjoying Life @ Arsenal

In January I sold Darren Bent to Arsenal for £10.25 million due to the fact he had zero goals for me this year and was playing very poorly. Well I guess it really was my tactics as he is absolutely lighting it up for Arsenal so far since the move. Here is the comparison of stats:

With Tottenham: 0 Goals in 21 appearances



















With Arsenal: 14 Goals in 7 Appearances


Monday, November 24, 2008

January 09 Transfer Update

I had a lot of offers for many of my players in this transfer window. I got good offers for Jenas, Huddlestone, King, Bent, and Woodgate but in the end I sold Bent to Arsenal for £10.25 million and Ledley King to Everton for £10.5 million. Bent had an awful season for me and had ZERO goals in 21 appearances for me and a 6.12 rating. He had to go. I figure that with Corluka, Woodgate, and Dawson I had enough cover at DC for now.

My 2 signing to replace them were Matt Derbyshire from Blackburn for £9 million and Seitaridis from Athletico Madrid for £4.2 million. Derbyshire suffered an injury in his 2nd game so I haven't had a chance to evaluate him much yet.

Transfer History










Players In




















Spurs Update - February 2009

My squad currently sits in 12th place in league due to a largely inconsistent first year. I have been getting some good results with 2-0 wins over both Arsenal and Chelsea but it has been a struggle to get anything out of most away matches. Recent injuries have taken out almost my entire strike force which has lead to some poor form recently. In the Euro Cup I failed miserably and was knocked out in the group stage. The board weren't too pleased about it.

League Table
















Euro Cup







Fixture List


















Current Squad



















Stats

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Update - September 2008

Well the 2008 season is underway and the my Spurs club have had a lot of difficulties in the first month. Our season started with an impressive victory at West Ham however a run of very poor away matches and some difficult ties versus Arsenal and Liverpool have left the club in an unfavorable spot to start the year.

The club has also suffered an early exit in the league cup (which they are holders of) at the hands of Arsenal in the 3rd round. An unfortunate draw of the Gunners early in the competition has left confidence low on the squad.

The main reason for the run of bad defeats has been low morale and the fact the club has not yet gelled with each other at all yet. The new signings of Modric, Moutinho, and Bentley have disappointed so far although they are still working their way into the Spurs system. A lot of the players have low morale due to the belief that their "manager's lack of experience may hinder the club's progress" which is something that hopefully will get better as we get some results. The next match sees Tottenham in Vaslui Romania with hopes of locking up a spot in the Euro Cup group stage. We won the first leg 2-0 at White Hart Lane.

Recent Fixtures



Premier League Table



Current Squad Status



Fans have been disappointed with the signing of Moutinho so far as you can see his form has been awful to start his career at Tottenham. Fans are also displeased with the play Darren Bent, Fraizer Campbell, and Ledley King, who has made several mistakes that have led to goals recently.
I am looking for some improved form from these players as we get into some matches that we have a good chance of winning in the next few weeks.
One bright note so far this season has been the start of Roman Pavlyuchecnko. The big striker has got off to a decent start with the new club netting 3 goals so far and has been playing well in the role of target man up front.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Transfers in AUG 2008

Before the season started I made a few dealings in the transfer market.



Moutinho is a nice pickup as I thought the squad was a little thin in the center midfield. He will likely assume the role of first choice CM with Jenas playing DM in a rotation with Huddlestone when he returns from injury.

There was some interesting world transfers as well, with Man City of course leading the way in spending.

Season Expectations

I have agreed with the board that a top half finish is the most likely result this season. I do have a nice budget to work with though!


Formation & Tactics

I am going to start with a 4-1-3-2 formation using fairly conservative instructions to start the season. I want to play it safe and get a feel for the squad before I give use much of an attacking formation.

I am using Pavlyuchecko as a target man and will be feeding him with balls in the air.

My instructions are to use a slightly defensive mentality and not take too many chances. I am giving fairly high creative freedom to all my players however.



Team Instructions





Individual Player Instructions