Transfers you hated doing

I just finished season 1 in FM10 with Man United and had to make two decisions: deciding not to re-sign Gary Neville and transferring John O'Shea. I had gotten Burdisso on a free and I thought he was a better option for me than Sheasy as a utility defender especially with Fabio and Rafael developing into potential starters. I know I won't re-sign Scholes next year, but I'll keep Giggs until he retires for sure. The fans disliked both moves and in the O'Shea transfer message it added two things that gutted me: "Manchester United management didn't give a second thought to the move." This was patently false. I thought long and hard over the decision and hated doing it, but I thought a Ferdinand/Vidic/Brown/Burdisso/Evans/Fabio/Evra/Rafael defensive unit gave me more value. Then it said, "O'Shea hopes he can return someday." Great, make me feel worse! I got rid of a loyal utility man and my captain on the same damn day.

I wish there was some way to have an exit interview of sorts to keep some of the loyal feelings or in the case of Neville or another older player try to talk them into a coaching position so they won't leave the club if they have the attributes for a coaching position.

I've had to make hard decisions on transfers in the past, but for some reason this year the interaction on transfers out makes it harder to do with fans and the players hating it. Dammit, why'd he have to say he hopes to come back soon?

I hated getting rid of the favourites at Inter; Zanetti, Materazzi, Stankovic etc, but they just weren't up to it anymore. Materazzi didn't want to come back as a Coach either, but Zanetti did eventually

It's not quite the same as a transfer obviously. But i wished i had an option to do an interview after David Beckham retired on my Inter save on FM09 and thank him for all the years he had sereved the club and how brilliant he was ect... as he played for 4 diffrent clubs over 11 years for me i even persuaded him to become a coach!

Same here. Oshea was by far the hardest decision. But i got good money for him.

Letting scholes and giggs and neville go has been gut wrenching too

I understand how you feel being a United fan but I just force myself to think "this is just a game, I'm just doing what's best for the team"

Same here. Oshea was by far the hardest decision. But i got good money for him.

Letting scholes and giggs and neville go has been gut wrenching too

Yeah, I got good money for him, of course, I felt guilty putting that money towards a younger GK. Felt like blood money lol. I do have one rule in FM: If I play as United, never sell or release Ryan Giggs. If I'm not playing as United -- I have to sign him if he is out of contract until he retires of his own free will. Then he usually becomes one of my coaches.

In 09 I got rid of Puyol (at 33)at centre half, I had 5 players for 2 postitions, and at least two potential stars of the regens, I had to stop up immediately as I sold him:(

I had to sell Hamsik to Lyon.....9.75 millions plus Ederson was an offer i couldnt refuse.

I got offered £26 Million for Javier Mascherano from Real Madrid which I couldn't refuse

On FM2009 I had a regen I had signed for £275,000. Seven years and 150 league goals later I was envisaging the great feeling I would have when, in 2 or 3 seasons' time, he would inevitably overtake Grenville Morris's 199 goals and become Forest's all-time league goalscorer... and then Arsenal offered me a deal worth £68m in total. Unfortunately, the decision was out of my hands as the board overruled me and accepted and confirmed the transfer.

I seriously considered giving up on that save game there and then. I hated losing that player more than any other in any FM or (old) CM game I have ever played.

Why just don't keep the old guys like Giggs, Neville, Scholes or Puyol as backups?

It's not a matter of money as you have enough when playing United oder Barca.

I can understand if someone sells O'Shea but I always keep club legends for small money until they retire.

John O'Shea is incredibly hard to sell. I hate it when I get to the point I don't really need him. So I always just try and keep him.

I also have that thing where I can't sell club legends. Guys like Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi have to stay at Roma. Raul has to stay at Real Madrid, and Alessandro Del Piero has to stay at Juventus.

But the toughest transfer I actually made that I can remember (and it probably wasn't the toughest overall but I don't remember any others) was selling Denilson on FM08, he was a monster, but he only ever made the subs bench and rarely started. He was valued at around £20m and was a regular for Brazil. I got an offer around £40m and I accepted. But I regretted it every day, and never felt the same after that

I also think I may have sold Zlatan Ibrahimovic on CM4 back in about 2003, I had played around 7 seasons with Ajax, and he was banging in goals for fun. Over 30 almost every season in the league, and I was getting massive offers from England, Spain, and Italy. Eventually I think I did sell him, but my team was never the same again.

On FM2009 I had a regen I had signed for £275,000. Seven years and 150 league goals later I was envisaging the great feeling I would have when, in 2 or 3 seasons' time, he would inevitably overtake Grenville Morris's 199 goals and become Forest's all-time league goalscorer... and then Arsenal offered me a deal worth £68m in total. Unfortunately, the decision was out of my hands as the board overruled me and accepted and confirmed the transfer.

I seriously considered giving up on that save game there and then. I hated losing that player more than any other in any FM or (old) CM game I have ever played.

When playing as Forest I've always tried to keep hold of developing players in the hope they could write themselves into the history books. The nearest I came was with a free-scoring winger called Matthew Gleeson - my scouts first spotted him aged 15 in the reserves of a minor Scottish team, I signed him on a free when he was 16 for a nominal fee just to fill a position in the youth team I was assembling. Within 3 or 4 seasons he moved up through the ranks and by 22 he was nearing 100 goals ............. but all this came to an end after the club sold him beehind my back for just £12million!!!

Got Anthony Annan for Celtic by offering 30 million after 50 league appearences, was easily our best player but had to let him go after 49 games to avoid bankrupting the club.

On 08 i had a regen for Hereford on loan from Pompey i then signed for 35k and after 3 years and 89 league goals Roma offered me 25m which i coundn't refuse so then after a season i resigned and took over at Roma to find he been sold on a free

Now you know how most of the irl managers feel about the media. Truth and accuracy will always come second to sales.

I obviously can't quote properly, but meh

When playing as Forest I've always tried to keep hold of developing players in the hope they could write themselves into the history books. The nearest I came was with a free-scoring winger called Matthew Gleeson - my scouts first spotted him aged 15 in the reserves of a minor Scottish team, I signed him on a free when he was 16 for a nominal fee just to fill a position in the youth team I was assembling. Within 3 or 4 seasons he moved up through the ranks and by 22 he was nearing 100 goals ............. but all this came to an end after the club sold him beehind my back for just £12million!!!

I'm the same - I want the club records to be held by my players. I keep hoping I'll find some 17yo who will be a regular in the first team from day one and beat the appearances record, but since this is about 692 games in all competitions (according to Wikipedia), that would be something like 14 years of ever-present playing, which is never going to happen.

Ah, nostalgia....

I signed a player for my League 1 Grimsby side on 08, AUD$50K, from Braga, He developed into an awesome centre midfield, dominated every game, dictated play behind a great AM, after 2 years and getting through to the Championship his contract was up, knowing that he wouldn't re-sign after having Prem clubs declare interest, he eventually went to Blackburn for a paultry 3m. Wasn't that bad though, still had 3 backup CMs, one from Slovakia, one from Bulgaria, and a Jamaican if i recall correctly

I'm at Crewe. Dario Gradi is still with the club as a coach and he's good. Unfortunately he's on £4,300/week which is roughly 2 and a half times what I and the top player at the club are earning, 4 or 5 times what most players are on and 10 times the other coaches. It's nearly 20% of my entire wage budget! His contract is up at the end of the season and I'm going to have to let him go. He's the club's only Legend. I'm going to get lynched.

I was disappointed that Grant Holt was so underrated in the game, couldn't hit a barn door for me, when in reality he is League 1 leading scorer (think the Norwich researcher got him mixed up with Jamie 'barndoor' Cureton).

Reluctently sold him for £140K

I got offered £26 Million for Javier Mascherano from Real Madrid which I couldn't refuse

Seriously I'd laugh at that offer is there a better out and out DM in the game than Mascherano?

Seriously I'd laugh at that offer is there a better out and out DM in the game than Mascherano?

I'd laugh at a £100M offer for Masch. He is unsellable.

I would sell Mascherano, but then I'm a Man Utd fan

and Daniele De Rossi is better. So yes there is a better out and out DM in the game

I would sell Mascherano, but then I'm a Man Utd fan

and Daniele De Rossi is better. So yes there is a better out and out DM in the game

I disagree Mascherano has 20 tackling and other immense stats for a DM, Gattuso is the only one who runs him close.

Once rejected a £54m bid for my star regen striker in 09 just to see if he could hit 500 goals in his career but he didn't got 470 something in the end.

Why just don't keep the old guys like Giggs, Neville, Scholes or Puyol as backups?

It's not a matter of money as you have enough when playing United oder Barca.

I can understand if someone sells O'Shea but I always keep club legends for small money until they retire.

It's a bit harder now with having to register 25 players, I have players under 21, but it was going to be tight so I had to let him go. Will have to do the same with Scholes this season. Giggs will always remain though.

In FM09 I signed Steven Defour for my Tottenham team. He did really well, racking up assists and getting his fair share of goals, ending the season with the young player of the year award. Also in my midfield, Wilson Palacios did a great job at winning the ball and being able to feed it to Defour or my wingers. Unfortunately, beginning in January, other managers began to state their interest in both players. Toward the end of the season they were very unhappy and their performances slipped drastically. When the summer transfer window came around, I was forced to sell both of them to "bigger" clubs. Although, I'm sure if they didn't start sucking beginning in March or so, I could have won a few more games and broken into the top four.

Luckily for me, though, I replaced them with Javi Martinez and Dan Gosling, both of whom did well for me after. Still, it really made me sad to sell two great midfielders, especially one I had just bought a season before in Defour.

I was disappointed that Grant Holt was so underrated in the game, couldn't hit a barn door for me, when in reality he is League 1 leading scorer (think the Norwich researcher got him mixed up with Jamie 'barndoor' Cureton).

Reluctently sold him for £140K

Actually thats Lambert at Southampton

Selling the legendary Mark Reed for Buxton

IRL he is the clubs leading goalscorer with 135 goals in 228 apperences

On 09 I sold Ashley Young when he was 31 for 15m after he'd been absolutely sensational for the peast 7 seasons.

He couldn't get in the team anymore though so I let him join Gabby and Milner at Inter.

I actually had to sell Mash as well. I had half the first team crying over the lack discipline, so I started fining folks. After one fine Mash demanded a transfer and declared his hatred for me. After a month of terrible performances and no improvement in our relationship, he had to go. I did get 40 mil for him, from Genoa of all places

i re-signed Henrik Larsson for Celtic on a 2 year deal but after the first season i realised he wasn't up to it anymore. All his attributes were dramatically decreasing so i had to terminate his contract got him back a week later as assistant manager though

Must gut-wrenching decision I ever made was on FM08. Playing as Cambridge United, I sign Juan Ugarte (the Wrexham striker who once hit 5 in a game), on a free in my second season in the Conference. He notches at least 20 goals a season as we go sailing through the football league, becoming by a distance the club's record goalscorer in just 5 or 6 seasons. He single handedly carries us to the Championship. By the time we are well placed in the division and pushing for the Premier League, the goals begin to dry up, as the legend that is Juan Ugarte has lost a yard of pace but none of his enthusiasm.

Deadlocked at 1-1 in the playoff final, I bring the man mountain of the bench with 10 minutes to go. He then goes on to hit the winner.

I sign some flash champagne-shoed teenage regens in the off-season, Juan Ugarte's contract does not get renewed for the first Premiership season of the club's history. He leaves.

I die a little inside.

My hardest one was Roman Pavlyuchenko on Fm08. signed him for Rangers and he broke McCoists goal scoring record in 5 seasons. 3 times European golden boot, and player of the season 5 times. Only missed 4 games for me in that time but he was getting old and his 6th season just was no longer up to it.

I decided to accept a small offer from newly promoted Ayr at the time. he thanked me by scoring two hat tricks against my defence that season (the defence which had been the best in scotland for 5 years and one of the best in europe) he signed back as a coach but he trully wasnt a great coach but i let him have his job.

Cueller, £9 million though........however, for the past season ive had 1 backup CB (Dunne)......................still won CL and LC with villa though

It hard as Man Utd Fan. For me I keep loaning both Rafael and Fabio until Gary retired.

Giggs, Scholes, Wes Brown, Gary, O"shea is untouchable

1st season in FM09 with Rangers - no money and over wage budget to start - 5 million bid for Boyd comes in and I very reluctantly accept for the good of the club.

That 5 million financed a revolution and 5 titles later brought him back intending him to be my back up striker - 47 goals in that season including an extra time double from Boyd beating Real Madrid 3-1 in the Champions League final made it worthwhile.

I think he understood why he had to go and didn't hold a grudge and it all worked out in the end.

Watching in horror as Charlie Mulgrew, who scored 10 goals from Left-back, left my Aberdeen team for Barnsley...ON A FREE!!!

ive got a good Rennes game running just now.ive got a dm called Fabien Lemoine.keep getting bids of 7-8m for him which just is'nt enough but 1 day il end up getting a massive bid which i have to accept.not looking forward to that day!

In my Everton game we were poor financially, every month was a loss, except the month when we got prize money. Had to sell players in Janaury, so Vaughan went for £5million(sell on fee is there as an add on) and £3Million for Anichebe. Then sold Joseph Yobo and Yakubu in the Summer, both could have stayed, but felt that a year later I would need replacements, and that they wouldnt be worth as much. So sold them then and got decent fees for them. Fans didnt like this much. Also let Tim Cahill's contract run out, but he wasnt making my team at all that season, played about 10 games roughly, mostly off the sub bench. Think I might have to do the same with Mikel Arteta.

I was disappointed that Grant Holt was so underrated in the game, couldn't hit a barn door for me, when in reality he is League 1 leading scorer (think the Norwich researcher got him mixed up with Jamie 'barndoor' Cureton).

Reluctently sold him for £140K

That's because he is a new signing so he was rated by the Shrewsbury researcher not on his performances at Norwich this season. I was less reluctant to get rid of him for £500k. I did let reluctantly let Hoolahan go for £0 at the end of the second season to get his wages off the books.

being a huge Juve fan i cant seem to cope with the fact its just a game.

Almost 8 years now of playing FM and I'm proud to say I have never gave up on the icons: Del piero, Nedved and Trez.

Almost every game when the time come they get a staff role, Could'nt care less if i payed them millions for tutoring youngsters.

The joy of subeing them in for the last CL final glory makes it all woth it.

Btw, this year for some reason nedved who juve his is favored club and he is unemployed still refuses to sign, wtf. My heart is breaking.

Anyway, Got a 75 Mil offer for Chiellini on FM09, needed the money badly for fullback.

Activated the buy back clause the next season for 105 Mill

I am toying with selling on Nesta, Ambrossini, Pirlo & Gattuso for Milan in my second season. Have replaced them with Henrique (Def), Dzagoev, Paulo Henrique, Gago & Jenas and figure that i could (being a bit ruthless) get some decent money for them . . . not sure how it will go down with the board and fans as i was already in the boards bad books for selling Oddo! I will have ripped the heart of Milan out if i do sell them on!?!?! Like the Juve & Nedved situation i can't get Paolo Maldini to be a coach at Milan either!?!?! Got his old man (Cesare) just need him to complete the set!!

Have just let a 31 y/o Steven Taylor leave Newcastle, agonisingly close to the club's appearance record, made me sad